


The Worst Witch Raises a Little Hell

by LauramourFromOz



Series: The Adventures of Hubble & Hallow [1]
Category: Arthurian Mythology, The Worst Witch (TV 1998), The Worst Witch (TV 2017), The Worst Witch - All Media Types, The Worst Witch Series - Jill Murphy
Genre: (Australian) Aboriginal Kinship Systems, Advent Calendar, Advent Calendar 2020, Amelia Cackle's Sexual Orientation Is Cheese, F/F, Gen, Once and Future King, Pride, S1 E5 (1998) Double Double Toil and Trouble, S1 E8 (1998) The Great Outdoors, S3 E14 (1998) The Uninvited, The Worst Witch (1974), Winky Blinky & Nod, lgbtq+, mix bag
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-01
Updated: 2020-12-23
Packaged: 2021-03-10 04:47:42
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 23
Words: 24,203
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27748498
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LauramourFromOz/pseuds/LauramourFromOz
Summary: A Worst Witch mix bag Advent Calendar.Some chapters will relate to the books, some to the 1998 series, some to the 2017 series, some will cross over and some belong to an AU of mine.Updated daily until (and including) Christmas Day.
Relationships: Constance Hardbroom/Imogen Drill, Griselda Blackwood/Fenella Feverfew, Gwen Bat/Algernon Rowan-Webb, Hecate Hardbroom/Ada Cackle, Merlin/Arthur Pendragon, Mildred Hubble/Ethel Hallow
Series: The Adventures of Hubble & Hallow [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2039242
Comments: 6
Kudos: 41





	1. A Witch Must Always Face the Music

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Takes place at the end of the first book (or 105 (1998): Double, Double, Toil and Trouble).

Constance Hardbroom was scowling in the staff-room. The others were giving her a wide berth. That was the purpose of the scowl. The air of menace HB projected was not solely for scaring the students, it also generated low level fear from the other staff. Except for Imogen. HB wasn't quite sure haw she felt about that. Imogen wasn't around though, she was probably off doing something absurd like climbing a mountain. 

HB was mildly annoyed that Mildred Hubble was intruding on her thoughts. Her mind was racing. HB half wished Imogen were here. She could usually be relied upon for a sensible solution. The little non-magical lesbian was the only other member of staff who was sensible, probably due to the lesbianism which was the sole thing they had in common. Now HB was now mildly annoyed at Imogen for not being around with one of her sensible solutions. HB wondered idly how many attempts it would take to find which mountain Imogene was on the side of.

She got up, slightly more aggressively than she'd intended. Davina jumped and Amelia shot HB a look. HB rolled her eyes once her back was to the room. Because, really.

HB knocked on Mildred's door. Mildred was sitting on the bed flipping through a book HB didn't recognise. HB sat on the bed uncomfortably. She was aiming for non-threatening but was unsure if it was working. By the look on Mildred's face it was partially effective at best. HB rearranged herself slightly, which seemed o be an improvement.

"Mildred," HB began. "We need to talk."

"Oh, but I thought..."

"Not about the display. That's... about this morning."

"Oh."

"Mildred, A witch must always take responsibility for her own actions. Running away never solves anything"

"I know, I'm sorry, you were just so mad and..."

"No. It isn't on you. It's on us. On me. If you can't... If you're so afraid about making a mistake that you run off into the forest alone rather than come to us that's on us. I... Don't ever feel you can't come to us, any of us. There isn't anything you could do that's..."

"Thanks, Miss Hardbroom."

"Goodnight, Mildred," HB said, getting up"

"Miss Hardbroom?"

"Yes?" HB said, looking back over her shoulder.

"You looked very nice last night. I was going to say something but..."

"Thank you, Mildred," HB took half a step then turned back around. "You did well, with the display. Ending notwithstanding. I was impressed.

HB vanished into thin air.

"Thank you," Mildred said, unsure if HB was gone or just invisible.

Winky, Blinky and Nod were just rousing for the night and Taby was harassing them. Mildred admonished him and Tabby was, very quickly, curled up between the book and Mildred's leg.


	2. Pride I

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This takes place in the 1998 series universe in the present day.
> 
> (Part 1 of 3)

Imogen Drill was not what one would call a natural choice as the wife of Consonance Hardbroom. They were very happy together, and had been for many years. Not that terribly many people had known about it until relatively recently. On the surface, they had exactly one thing in common, lesbisnism. Nobody could get under HB's skin like Imogen, with the occasional exception of Mildred Hubble. HB liked having Imogen under her skin very much. Then again...

It was nine in the morning on Pride Saturday and HB returned to their rooms from her rounds to find Imogen looking out every item of clothing HB owned. She was, by Constance's estimation, about halfway through and there were items of clothing strewn from one end of the room to the other. 

HB sighed. One of these days she was going to make Imogen put everything back into perfect order when she did something like this. 'One of these days' had been coming for more than fifteen years.

"What are you doing, my dear?"

"I'm trying to find you something to wear to pride later."

"And I can't wear what I'm wearing, because?"

"Will you agree to play along when someone asks what you're dressed as?"

"No."

"Will you put a pink flower in your hair and turn your skin green with a colour changing potion?"

"Absolutely not."

"That's why. After what happened last year..."

"That was not my fault."

"It wasn't not your fault."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"You know perfectly well what it means, HB."

"And why, pray tell, have you waited until... two hours before we have to be there to start this exercise?"

"Because I forgot."

"And you are, of course, aware I own nothing you'd find suitable attire for this event. Exactly like every other year for the last decade and a half."

"Will you concede to the green skin, if I concede the flower?"

HB made a vial of emerald liquid appear out of thin air.

"If you were..."

"You're cute when you're flustered."

Constance Hardbroom was not often one to be found in a particularly playful mood but it was pride. She could allow herself a little whimsy to make her wife smile. Between HB's hang ups derived from her family life and higher education, Imogen had a lot to deal with over the years. It had gotten better over the last few years. She who they didn't speak of was dead and burred and they'd won the right to marry, times had changed. The hang ups still lingered though, they were too firmly ingrained, held in place with too much scar tissue to be gone completely. Imogen understood, Imogen had always understood. All she asked was that HB march with her at pride. It seemed a small price to play and, to a point at least, HB did enjoy herself, not that she would say it aloud to any but a select few.

"Well, are you going to try out the colour?" Imogen said.

"Later. Mildred and Ethel are doing a Witches of Oz thing this year. Mildred asked me to make the potion. She didn't want to start strobing like the last time she tried it."

"I didn't realise it was such a difficult potion."

"It's not."

"And yet, it's too difficult for Mildred and Ethel? By your own admission, two of the most gifted student's you've ever had."

"Keep your voice down."

"Why, are you afraid someone might be lurking invisibly listening in? You're the only one around here that does that, my love."

An hour or so later they were at Mildred and Ethel's London flat. It was nice and not much more than ten minutes from the parade's starting point and so there were about a dozen other people there getting ready. Fenella and Griselda had brought some of their own pupils and staff along, so their number was a little heavier than usual. They wouldn't be joining them in the traditional post pride bar hopping though. A few Cackle's girls had asked for permission to come down but they were making their own way. They'd be marching close by with thee rest of the magical community and they'd be able to find HB and Imogen if they needed to but they were expected to stay with the cluster of student witches and wizards.

Mildred handed HB a shot glass of the emerald potion, retaining one for herself. They both drank. It worked a little too well. They were now emerald all over. And it looked...

"I can fix this," Mildred said, starting for the bedroom.

"I would hope, Mildred Hubble, that I'd taught you better than to mix spells."

"And here I thought you'd developed at least some faith in me."

She returned a moment later with a tube of concealer and a bottle of black nail-polish.

HB smiled.

Mildred applied the concealer to various places on HB's visible skin. the corners of her eyes, a patch behind her ear... to make it appear as if she'd missed a spot or two with the green. She then painted HB's fingernails black, because the green had looked odd.

HB shook her hands out and the nail-polish was instantly dry. She reflected, as she returned the favour, that if someone had come up to her when Mildred first crashed over the Cackle's wall and told her that this was where they'd end up... She'd have had them committed. There were a lot of things about her life that would have surprised her twenty years ago. She glanced thoughtfully at her wife. Her very non-magical, very female wife. Not that she'd never known she was a lesbian, she'd known since she was about twelve years old. She hadn't even really doubted same sex marriage would come around eventually. It had simply never occurred to her that she'd have one. But here she was. Looking at Mildred was unnervingly like looking into her own reflection. If it weren't for the several layers of impossibility Mildred might have been HB's long lost love child.


	3. Pride II

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This takes place in the 1998 series universe in the present day.
> 
> (Part 2 of 3)

Pride was pride. Everything happened all at once in a rainbow haze. It was loud and vibrant, and frankly a little much for Constance. Imogen was having a good time though, so she could put up with it. After the march they'd lingered at the end point for a while. HB, Fenella and Griselda instructed their respective students to contact them if they got into trouble, giving them money for dinner and the cover for the magical underage club they were going on to.

They'd all gone to dinner when the crowd began to thin. For HB's sake they'd gone to a little out of the way place run by quite an eccentric witch who happened to be the mother of one of Fen and Gris' pupils.

It was one of Mildred and Ethel's regular haunts. There was a playlist of queer folk music playing softly in the background in honour of the day. This was the calm before the proverbial storm.

Mildred was laughing at something Gris was saying. HB hadn't heard what. it was an open, robust laugh. Beside Mildred, Ethel was listening contentedly to whatever it was Gris was talking about, she was leaned in close to her wife. Imogen was listening too, her hand was rested warm on HB's thigh. HB's own hand rested atop it. Fen was talking to HB about the troubles one of her students was having, hoping for some wisdom from her old potions mistress. HB fully intended to offer said wisdom, just as soon as she could find it.

Then came the bar hopping. HB liked this part the least, after the first half an hour or so, at least. She was always a little wrong footed in bars. The noise was an assault to her senses, pressing in from all sides. It was hot and generally unpleasant. It made her feel slightly ill. But Imogen was having a good time, so HB did her best to ignore it.

When HB excused herself for some fresh air, Mildred followed her into the alleyway.

"I thought I was the only thing that made you make that face."

"Not exclusively."

"Here, something I've been working on."

Mildred handed HB a vial of dusky purple liquid.

HB examined it cautiously.

"What is it?" She said eventually.

"Something I've been working on. After you mentioned about the noise last year, I got to thinking, and then tinkering. It limits excess sensory stimuli."

"It isn't going to make me go blind or deaf, temporarily or permanently, is it?"

"Ethel and I have both tried it out a few times. It's safe."

HB looked at the vial thoughtfully and then took a generous sip, handing the, still half full, vial back to Mildred who drained it.

Their skin, which at the beginning of the afternoon had been a brilliant emerald, had muted somewhat over the last few hours.

HB's head was clearing quickly and a few moments later they went back in. Mildred had a renewed and familiar spring in her step.

HB couldn't remember mentioning her sensory issues to Mildred at any point. It couldn't have been more than a passing comment between pubs the previous year. As a result of which Mildred had obviously put some effort into a solution.

"I don't know why you're surprised, HB," Imogen said while they were on the dance floor.

"It's a good potion too," HB said, spinning her.

"Again, I don't know why you're surprised, my love. You taught her everything she knows."

"Hardly."

"You've seen the finger thing?"

"What finger thing?"

"That rock of ages finger thing you both do when you cast."

"Rock of ages?"

Imogen threw her hands up in the position HB and Mildred used when casting and nodded her head to the Queen song hat was playing.

Dawn was just kissing the horizon when they arrived back at Mildred and Ethel's flat after their night out.

Tabby and Nightstar looked at them all disapprovingly when they came in as if to say: 'And what time do you call this?' Not having received a satisfactory answer before losing interest, they wondered off.

"The spare room is made up for you if you want it, HB, Imogen. Fen, Gris, the couch is yours if you want it," Ethel said, "don't want you sneaking back into your school at dawn."

Gris made a playful remark about Ethel being the school sneak and suck-up. Mildred gave her a shove.

They all fell into their respective beds in short order.


	4. Pride III

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This takes place in the 1998 series universe in the present day.
> 
> (Part 3 of 3)

Constance Hardbroom was a very considerate house-guest. They never got out of bed much before midday on Pride Sunday, a tradition they'd adopted from Haloween at Cackle's. At about half eleven Mildred woke to the smell of pancakes from the kitchen. Mildred went out to the kitchen to find HB making pancakes, which was another Pride Sunday tradition.

"Morning, HB," Mildred said, leaning against the kitchen counter.

"Morning," HB said, "What's in that potion? I feel great."

By way of response, Mildred made a neatly folded piece of paper appear between her middle and index fingers, holding it out for HB to take.

HB wiped her hands on a tea towel and took it. She studied the formula, written in purple ink and Ethel's immaculate hand, thoughtfully, recognising what Mildred had done immediately.

"I wouldn't have thought of that, well done."

Mildred, after all these years, still got the same look she had as a schoolgirl whenever HB paid her a complement.

HB neatly refolded and pocketed the formula.

"Mind if I use it. I think it could really help one of my girls."

"Go ahead."

Everyone else was still asleep. Fen and Gris were in an, at best very awkward and at worst quite uncomfortable looking, entangled heap on the couch.

"Your girls all get back alright?" Mildred said, helping herself to one of the already cooked pancakes.

"Amelia called this morning. They all got back on time and in one piece. The other girls were all still up."

"How early did you ask them to be back?"

HB set the pancake batter aside and helped herself to a pancake of her own, casting a warming spell over the plate.

"Midnight. The other girls had a bit of a party of their own last night. Some of the girls aren't out at home yet, so if parents are calling wondering why they aren't up yet they have a legitimate late night excuse. Plus, certain elements are less likely to make a fuss if..."

They ate in companionable silence for a moment.

"So, Mildred said, "what's new at Cackle's?"

"We have a first year who is you incarnate."

"I'm so sorry."

"Well, if this one turns out half as well as the original..."

There was that look again.

Ethel moseyed out of their bedroom right about then. She was still slightly vague with sleep. She kissed Mildred on the head and stole part of her pancake by way of morning greeting.

"Morning, HB," she said, helping herself to her own pancake.

Two dishevelled heads poked up over the back of the couch, having been roused by the commotion.

"Where's Imogen, out for a run?" Gris said, sleepily.

"Imogen, is sleeping like the dead. She is no longer young enough to stay out until dawn and then go for a run in the morning."

"She's younger than you, HB," Fen said.

HB pointed at Fenella with a wordless spell that gave Fen the sensation of ice water running down the length of her spine. She shrieked and everyone else burst into peels of laughter which bought Imogen out.

"What's going on out here?" Imogen said, sleepily.

Nobody bothered to reply.

"Morning, dear," HB said, handing her a pancake.


	5. The Australians

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cackles' Academy gets two new teachers.
> 
> Takes place sometime in Season 3. Slight AU from the end of season 2.

Hecate Hardbroom and Ada Cackle were at the annual International Magical Education Association conference. They’d been specifically invited (though they didn’t know it at the time) to be convinced to allow a pilot program for the school year. The Great Wizard was very keen. Ada and Hecate were less certain. Until they met the instigators of the program and found themselves actually considering it.

Dr Aeryn Spencer and Dr Jayne Eastick were a riot. It was instantly evident that they were going to fit in perfectly at Cackles'. They were an Australian couple who had backgrounds in both magical and non-magical scholarship. They had thought together for several years at university level. And now their subject was to be trailed at secondary level from third year. And of all the schools in all the world, Cackles' was apparently the perfect candidate. Because, apparently, mixing Mildred Hubble and _Advanced Incantation Composition_ , was a good idea.

By the time the week long conference was over Cackles' had gained two new members of staff. Uncharacteristically, it had been Ada who had been the more reserved of the two on the matter.

“Latin and Old-English, two new languages Hecate?” Ada had said while they were getting ready for bed one night.

“It isn’t like it’s Finnish and Mandarin. There is considerable overlap between the two and I think the girls would benefit greatly from it.”

“Third year seems awfully early for such advanced material.”

“Have you met our third years Ada? The challenge will do them good. They might even stay out of trouble.”

Ada had to agree that it was worth a shot.

* * *

About three weeks before the school year started Jayne and Aeryn arrived at the castle. Only Hecate and Ada were in residence, as they always were, the other staff would not begin returning for another week. The newcomers touched down smoothly in the courtyard. Aeryn let a, rather beautiful, Bengal Cat out of its basket. The creature did a figure of eight around Aeryn and Jayne before resting its right forepaw on the basket at Jayne's feet. Jayne complied with the silent request and opened the basket, from which leaped, what looked like, a tiny Alsatian. Jayne gave the creature a quick scratch between the ears and straightened.

“Is that a dog?” Hecate said, when she had overcome her mild shock.

“Yes, she is.” Jayne replied.

“Dog’s don’t like witches.”

“Actually,” Jayne replied, “that’s a common misconception. Dogs don’t like _bad_ witches. Witch trials in the middle ages were originally conducted by putting somebody suspected of witchcraft in a pen with all the dogs in a village. If the dogs reacted negatively it indicated a dark witch. It was actually quite just. It was also used within the magical community to identify dark witches. By about the Norman Conquest the witch trials had begun to devolve into what they eventually became.”

“I’ve never heard of having a dog as a familiar. Is it common in Australia?” Ada said.

“Not especially, not among white fellas anyway. My first familiar was a dingo named Max who switched places with one of the kittens. A couple of years later we spotted a cat living with a pack of dingoes. I had to leave him in Australia when I left though, he’s a bit conspicuous.”

The dog, Heidi, and Aeryn’s cat, Wulfgar, had spurred each other on enough to sus out Ada and Hecate. Ada had never seen Hecate so apprehensive. Until, of course, Heidi stood on her hind legs resting her two tiny forepaws on Hecate’s shin and gazed up at her. Ada smiled privately.

* * *

Once Aeryn and Jayne had summoned their things from vanishment and settled into what had once been Hecate’s rooms Ada led them on a tour of the school.

“Will this be sufficient?” Ada asked when they arrived at the recently vacated art room, “You may change the layout, of course, there are other empty rooms if you prefer but this is the nearest o the other classrooms. There’s an office attached but you’ll have to share it for now until we can come up with something.”

Jayne and Aeryn looked at each other in silent conference, gave a half nod, joined their inside hands and made a grand swishing motion with their outside hands, transforming the room in an impressive display of tandem magic. Ada liked to see other people do effortless tandem magic. You had to be completely in sync to do it like that. Most people thought tandem magic like that was unnecessary. It wasn’t a particularly taxing, complex or urgent spell, one of them could have done it easily. But tandem magic like that was special, intimate. Entwining your power with someone else's like that was as intimate, as connected as two people could be. True tandem magic was more than two (or more) people casting the same spell at the same time. It was a merging of souls that only the very powerful and finely matched could do. There was something nice about tandem magic. Ada had only successfully done it with Hecate. She’d tried with Agatha a few times when they were young but they had no balance of give and take. Agatha had only tapped into her power and used it, Ada had had no control. The magic had been immense, yes, but Ada had been no more than an extra battery. It made Ada sick to her stomach. Ada gave and Agatha took, as always. With Hecate it was different, a symphony, a work of art. Perfect, equal collaboration.

“This will do quite nicely, thank you Mrs Cackle,” Aeryn said as she and Jayne surveyed their handiwork.

“Now, before I forget. What would you like the girls to call you?”

“Well, Our students have always used our first names, but if it’s all the same to you we’d prefer if the girls used Dr rather than Mrs in the classroom. Unless the other staff feel it’s an overstep,” Jayne replied for both of them.

“And first names outside school hours,” Aeryn added.

“Well, for now, Dr it is. I’ll have to consult with the rest of the staff about first names when they return though.”

Truth be told, Ada liked the idea of the girls, especially the older ones, using her first name. All her life she’d been one of two Miss Cackles. And then she’d become Mrs Cackle and swapped one name companion for another (albeit a more pleasant one). Ada had always been hers whereas as Miss and Mrs Cackle were shared with many. The legacy was nice, merging into one with hundreds of years’ worth of ancestors, not so much.

* * *

The first of the remaining staff to return was Dimity who, for reasons unknown, had hiked the hundred miles or so back. Hecate was relieved to see the newest additions to the staff found this no more sane an activity than she did. Two days later Gwen and Algie returned and preparations for the new school year began.

The first official staff meeting took place over dinner the following day. Mrs Tapioca had not yet returned and so kitchen duties were on a loose rota (Hecate had made a lamb roast).

“Now that we’re all here,” Ada began, “I’d like to formally welcome Jayne and Aeryn to our teaching staff. Perhaps you’d like to introduce yourselves?”

“Sure,” Jayne began,” I’m Jayne Eastick, I have a PhD in Archaeology from Trinity University. I took my undergrad at The Australian Witching University in Alice Springs.”

“I’m Aeryn Spencer. I also have a PhD from Trinity in Medieval Literature. I did my undergrad at The Victorian Institute of Witchcraft in Ballarat. Jayne and I have been together for twelve years and married four months.”

“For the last seven years we’ve been teaching _Advanced Incantation Composition_ in Latin, Old-English and Old-Norse at Weirdsister College with another colleague.”

“We’ve been developing this Incantation Composition pilot program for about, what two and a half years?” Aeryn said.

“Would be nearly three now,” Jayne interjected.

“The program will be spread over three years and will cover the first semester and a bit of first level curriculum.”

“Three languages in three years seems like a lot for one subject,” Dimity said.

“We agree. We’ll only be working in Latin and Old-English because they’re the two most common ones. We’ll cover some theory surrounding Old-Norse Incantation towards the end but we won’t do any of the actual language. The aim is to have every graduate of Cackle’s with at least a rudimentary grasp of the workings of Latin and Old-English.”

“We’re also looking at starting up an out of hours group for the younger girls or the ones who want extra help with either or both of the languages next term if there’s interest. We're really pleased to be here.”

“Is this an opt-in situation?” Gwen asked.

“Yes and no. Fourth and fifth years can opt out at the end of the coming term. It’s compulsory for third years but they can opt-out halfway through their fourth year if they chose. So it’s compulsory for a year and a half for the current third years and everyone who comes after them.” Aeryn said.

“I’ll also be taking the first and second years for creative writing to reinforce the concepts they’ll be starting in third year,” Jayne said.

“I won’t be, so if anyone needs extra eyes or hands during those times please feel free to ask,” Aeryn said.

“I would like to confirm that she, in fact, will not be helping.”

“There’s a story here,” Dimity said.

“Yes,” Jayne said, “but one for another time.”

“There was something else we wanted to talk with you all about. You don’t have to answer now but have a think about it. We would be more comfortable if the girls, especially the older ones, called us by our first names outside hours. We’ve been teaching university for seven years, longer if you count tutoring as postgraduates, and we’re used to being on first name terms with our students. We quite like it and we’d like it to continue. We were thinking third year upwards.”

“We realise it’s going to effect you all as well so we wanted to see what you all thought. Again, don’t answer now, go away and have a think.”

“Just, for the record,” Ada said, “I quite like the idea and if it goes ahead I will be participating.”

“As do I,” Hecate said.

Dimity, Gwen and Algie were momentarily shocked into silence by this. Ada ducked her head to hide her smile.

“Also, as long as we aren’t treading on toes or ruffling feathers, we’re both Dr, not Mrs,” Jayne added.

The conversation drifted after that and the staff meeting devolved into general chit chat. Dimity, who was feeling less and less like a third wheel and more and more like a unicycle, was continuing to tell Jayne and Aeryn about each and every student.

* * *

Before too long it was the Friday before term started and the girls were arriving. In what was a very good omen for the rest of the year and to everyone's surprise, Mildred Hubble arrived on time and without crashing into anything or otherwise causing miscellaneous destruction. All the girls seemed in high spirits. Hecate scanned the crowd for likely trouble makers, as was her default setting. There was nothing serious. Perhaps Ada’s annual claim that this would be the best year yet (finally) had some truth to it. It appeared though that she’d spoken too soon. Ethel Hallow was handing Mildred a small box. Hecate was at their side in an instant and Mildred almost dropped the box when Hecate apeared.

“…I saw it in Denmark and thought of you,” Ethel was saying.

“Thank you Ethel.”

“The woman who sold it to me said it was an overture to friendship. There was a lot about the stone symbolizing a solid foundation and stone being permanent. Anyway, I was kind of hoping we could be friends this year so…" Ethel trailed off. She seemed sincere, then again she usually did.

It was a necklace, a simple leather cord with a runic pendant. Hecate half expected it to be a hex or curse. She couldn’t feel the magic in it but perhaps it was dormant. Perhaps Hecate was being paranoid. Hecate searched the crowd for the nearest of the two medievalists. She caught Jayne’s eye and the other woman was there immediately.

“Yes Mrs Hardbroom?”

“Mildred Hubble, Ethel Hallow, Dr Eastick. What exactly is that?” Hecate indicated the pendant in Mildred’s hand.

A look of realisation flashed across Jayne’s features at the introduction.

“May I see?”

Mildred handed it over. Jayne examined it with her Archaeologist’s eye.

“It’s not dangerous, not even magical. It’s a custom in some parts of Denmark and Sweden to give one of these as a gesture of wanting a particular relationship to change permanently. The exact nature of the change depends on the rune. It could be an overture to anything from friendship to marriage. If the rune is ‘sister’, ‘brother, ‘son’, ‘daughter’, ‘mother’, ‘father’, it can be a way of conferring a blessing for a marriage. ‘Wife’ or ‘husband’ are used as a token of engagement. Or marriage. They can also be given from parent to child as a token of passing through a rite of passage or worn as a symbol of devotion to a deity. Or given as an overture to courtship. Again, depends on the rune and context.

“And this rune is friendship?”

“Pretty much.”

Hecate transferred away as quickly as she’d come.

“She’s not big on introductions is she?” Jayne said.

“Not really,” Mildred supplied.

“I’m Dr Jayne Eastick.”

“Ethel Hallow.”

“Mildred Hubble.”

“Well met, sisters.”

“Well met,” Ethel and Mildred said together.

“What are you a Doctor of exactly?” Mildred asked.

“Archaeology. I specialise in Anglo-Saxons.”

“They’re offering Archaeology now?” Mildred said.

“No. Incantation Composition.”

“But that’s university stuff,” said Ethel.

“Usually, yes but we’re running a pilot program here at Cackles' for years three to five.”

“Who’s that other new woman?”

“That’s my wife. Dr Aeryn Spencer. We’re teaching the subject together.”

“Why?” Said Mildred.

“It tends to work better with two or three instructors, one for each language. I’m Latin, she’s Old-English. When we were at Weirdsister we taught with our friend Johnny, she did Old-Norse.”

“Is that a dog?” Ethel asked, spotting Heidi.

“Heidi, my familiar.”

“But dogs hate witches,” Ethel said.

“Correction: Dogs hate _bad_ witches.”

“That’ll come in handy if Agatha ever tries to come back.”

“Ah, Agatha. Mrs Cackle’s twin Agatha. Mrs Cackle’s evil twin Agatha. Mrs Cackle’s evil twin Agatha who keeps trying to take over the school. Agatha who’s trapped inside a picture in Mrs Cackle’s office, Agatha. That Agatha?”

“How do you know about that?”

“We’ve been here for three weeks. HB gave us a crash course in the recent history of Cackles' Academy. That and Heidi won’t stop growling at the aforementioned picture when she’s in Mrs Cackle’s office.”

Mildred went to tie the pendant around her neck, but Jayne stopped her.

“Ethel should do that, at least the first time. By putting it on you’re bestowing the symbol of lasting friendship. The way and intention of giving is as important as the giving itself It’s a way of expressing the desire.”

They both shrugged. Ethel took the necklace from Mildred and, moving her plats out of the way fastened it around her neck. Her fingertips lingered just a fraction longer than necessary. Jayne catalogued the information and pretended not to have noticed. She excused herself after that and continued making rounds, wanting to meet as many people as possible.

Late in the evening Jayne had gone to check on her classroom. Make sure the pictures and posters were all straight, ensure the structural integrity of the tables and chairs, that sort of thing. Mostly it was so she could have some time alone to collect her thoughts before dinner. But the classroom wasn’t empty.

“Mildred?”

“Sorry Dr Eastick,” she quickly wiped tears from her eyes.

“Call me Jayne. What’s the matter?”

“It’s nothing, it’s just…” Mildred trailed off, “I really thought we’d have art again this year. Maybe even have Miss Mould back.”

“That’s the thing about witching schools, they don’t care very much for humanities. Even less than non-magic schools do. It’s a constant struggle for people like us.”

“What do you mean?”

“You know, my first familiar was a dingo.”

“Really?”

“His name’s Max. I had to leave him in Australia because he’s a bit conspicuous. My witching academy had cats. Somehow before my year were given our cats Max got in and one of the cats got out. A couple of years later we saw this feral black cat hunting with a pack of dingoes.”

“Was he the last one left?”

“No, I chose him. I’ve always been a dog person. And, I know what it’s like to be different from everyone else.”

“When I came here I wasn’t a real witch and then I found out I was. Except I’m not really because I didn’t grow up as one. I don’t know all the really simple and basic things that everybody else knows because their mothers are witches, and their grandmothers and their great grandmothers and I have to work so much harder to be half as good. I just… art was the one thing I could actually do. I just don’t feel like I deserve to be here. I feel like I’m not good enough.”

“There’s a name for that. It’s called ‘impostor syndrome’ only really clever and gifted people get it.”

“Really?”

“You know My whole family for fifteen generations were all expert potion makers. All my siblings, all my cousins. Except for me. I’m terrible at potions, properly horrendous. I passed my final potions exam by two points, and one of them was for spelling my name correctly. I’m sort of the family failure for that. But you know what? None of them are called Doctor. None of them speak six languages. Every single one of them are completely useless at chanting. Truly terrible, she almost washed out of the academy we went to because she could not chant. Couldn’t remember even the words to the simplest of chants. She had to have the music in front of her the whole time. Didn’t matter how many times she’d don a chant, she could never remember a single line. They had to give her n extra credit potion. None of them can do tandem magic either.”

“Tandem magic?”

“It’s a bit like when a coven gets together and preforms a spell or ritual together. Tandem magic is one step further. It’s deeply intimate. Usually its couples that do it. You weave your magic together and it makes the spell work more quickly, be more powerful and your power regenerates quicker. You have to be totally in sync, you have to have complete trust in the other person, your power has to be almost perfectly matched. Most commonly its husbands and wives, but sometimes it can be parents and children, siblings. It’s really rare because there are so many factors that have to mach up. I do it with Aeryn. HB was saying the other day that she and Mrs Cackle do it.”

“Why do you do it?”

“Because sharing your power with someone like that is the most wonderful feeling in the world. There’s nothing quite like it. People tend think were showing off when we do it but we genuinely love how it feels to share our power like that. I never feel closer to my wife than when we're doing magic together. Come on. we'll be late for dinner."


	6. Convergence I

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Because if anyone's going to end up in another universe on their way to their Cackle's reunion it's Mildred Hubble. It's been almost two decades since Mildred and Ethel were students at Cackle's Academy. Ethel and Mildred are now happily married. Meeting their alternate universe selves was not how they'd expected the day to go but meeting expectations had never been a big part of their lives.
> 
> Takes place sometime in Season 3. Slight AU from the end of season 2.
> 
> (Part 1 of 6)

When one goes to a magic school in a vaguely creepy castle one gets used to strange things happening, especially if you happen to be connected more than passingly with Mildred Hubble. Ethel Hallow, who had been more than passingly connected to Mildred Hubble, first as schoolgirl rivals, then as friends, then (finally) by marriage, was very used to this. On a good day Mildred's particular magnetism for... trouble wasn't quite the right word, although it wasn't quite the wrong one either... whatever it was Mildred had a particular magnetism for... On a good day Ethel found it to bee one of her wife's most endearing qualities. If nothing else their life was never dull. On a bad day Ethel had to remind herself just how much she loved her wife, just how good it felt to be able to be married to the woman she loved. Remind herself of the simple pleasure they'd faught for, to say the words: 'my wife, Mildred'. To hear Mildred say 'my wife, Ethel'. To fill out forms 'Mrs Ethel Hallow'. To check the box marked: 'married'. It had been a good few years now, but after almost fifteen years fighting for it...

Mildred and Ethel both loved to fly. After Mildred's initial disaster and decidedly slow start she'd become very good on a broomstick. She'd become very good at a lot of things. They'd set off early and hung in the air for a while. They looped around each other, swooping and dipping, high above the wood near the castle. It was freeing. When they saw the others from their year getting close they were going to head in. It felt like ages since they'd seen most of their year, they were looking forward to it. Their first clue that something was amiss was when they didn't spot anyone else arriving. Eventually they made their own way, hoping nobody had changed the date of the reunion and forgotten to tell them about it. Even if they had, it would be good to catch up with HB and Miss Cackle.

When Mildred and Ethel arrived at the castle it became abundantly clear that this was not their Cackle's Academy. The first clue to this was that the apostrophie had been moved conspicuously one space to the right. The castle itself too was different: cleaner, brighter, genrally less dingy. It was nice. Not that their own Cackle's wasn't, it had a certain gloomy, cobwebbed charm about it and it was home.

The sign at the gate read:

CACKLES' ACADEMY FOR WITCHES

Heads:

Mrs Ada Cackle & Mrs Hecate Hardbroom

They rang the bell.

HB (not exactly like their own HB but unmistakable) appeared behind them out of thin air. Because, apparently whatever universe you happened to be in, HB was a drama queen who takes great pleasure in appearing out of thin air in a vaguely menacing manner. It was less fun when they were twelve and had not yet experienced HB in the wild, namely at a series of Pride marches that she'd been dragged to over the years (usually by Imogene). Nobody was particularly menacing after bar hopping together in a post pride haze.

There was something.. else about this HB too. Something neither Ethel or Mildred could quite place.

When Mildred and Ethel introduced themselves, HB looked as if she'd been struck by a sudden migrane. Their HB had that look too, it was usually Mildred related, though they hadn't seen it in a while.

"I might have known," HB said eventually.

Ethel shook with silent laughter, which earned her a good natured shove from her wife.

"Hey! How do you know she doesn't mean you?" Mildred said

"I didn't," HB said, and was that a humorous glint? "You'd better come with me."

HB didn't wait, she strode off and Mildred and Ethel followed obediently. Thanks to their legs now being fully grown, they didn't have to jog to keep up anymore.

"I see," Mrs Ada Cackle (no to be confused with Miss Amelia Cackle or either of their evil twins) said once HB had relaid the particulars of the situation, "has something like this ever happened to you before?"

"Define 'like this'," Ethel used air quotes, "because I don't know what your Mildred's like but a lot of weird stuff happens around mine."

"By that she means: We've travailed through time a few times and we ended up in New Zealand by accident once but the whole alternate universe thing is new. I don't suppose you have?"

"Unfortunately not," Ada said.

They, along with the rest of the staff, gathered in the staff room quarter of an hour later There were only three staff members Ethel and Mildred couldn't place. Two Australians, Drs Jayne Eastick and Aeryn Spencer. The other was introduced to them as Miss Dimity Drill. Mildred caught herself staring.

"Is something the matter?" Dimity said.

"Sorry," Mildred said, "It's just... our Miss Drill is a little non-magical lesbian named Imogene. She drags our HB to pride with us every year."

"She what now?" Jayne said.

"Every year Imogene, HB, Ethel and I march in London Pride with some others. We go bar hopping afterwards. I assume you have pride marches here," Mildred explained.

"Yes," Aeryn said, "Yes we do."

"Now," Ada said, "Does anyone have any ideas about how we're going to get these ladies home?"

"Actually," Jayne said, "I have half an idea. We're going to need our Mildred and Ethel."

"Is that absolutely necessary?" HB said.

"Yes. It won't work without them. It'll take me a couple of days to prepare. There are a few moving parts. We'll need two sets of true tandem casters. Aeryn, you and me will do the Old-English. Ada and HB, how's your Latin?"

"Passable," Ada said.

"Impeccable," HB said.

"Good, you'll do the Latin," Jayne said.

"What about us?" Mildred said, "because, I hate to tell you, My Latin: not great. And my Old English: non existent."

"Mine too," Ethel said.

"That's fine. You and your counterparts will be using English."

"I know what you're thinking, you beautiful genius," Aeryn said.

"What?" Mildred said.

"Full disclosure, this is a crazy plan that may not work," Jayne said.

"That's my favourite kind of plan," Mildred said.

"Why am I not surprised?" HB said, more to herself than anyone else.

"Just how crazy is this plan?" Dimity said.

"Oh," Jayne said, "completely bonkers. We're going well and truly medieval."

"Will we even have the power for that?" Ada said.

"With the four of us true tandem casting and the help of some of the other girls and if this Mildred and Ethel are as powerful as our Mildred and Ethel, probably."

"Probably?" Dimity echoed.

"In the last thousand years or do there has been a marked decline in the power of magic users. The spell takes an emense amount of power," Aeryn said.

"Should we call in reinforcements from Pentangles?" Ada said.

"It might not be a bad idea," Jayne said.

"Just how many people are we talking here?" Dimity said.

"The Mildreds and Ethels will be doing an incantation in English. Aeryn and I will be doing a different one in Old-English. HB and Ada will be doing another one in Latin. Then, say twenty, others will be doing another English incantation. Then as many magic users as will help, at least thirty, singing their hearts out. I doubt we can do this with much fewer than fifty people, preferably eighty."

"What sort of time frame are we talking about?" HB said.

"A week, perhaps ten days. We have to compose four incantations in three languages. Then everyone needs their part down cold, including the people singing."

"And what exactly are they chanting?" Gwen said.

"Not chanting exactly. Singing. It's a technique we've used since our undergrad days. Belting out show tunes en masse is like a supportive chant on super charged steroids, particularly in queer casters."

"Why would the sexuality of the caster make a difference?" Dimity asked

"It's a very complex answer that boils down to: we don't really know." Algie said.


	7. Convergence II

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Because if anyone's going to end up in another universe on their way to their Cackle's reunion it's Mildred Hubble. It's been almost two decades since Mildred and Ethel were students at Cackle's Academy. Ethel and Mildred are now happily married. Meeting their alternate universe selves was not how they'd expected the day to go but meeting expectations had never been a big part of their lives.
> 
> Takes place sometime in Season 3. Slight AU from the end of season 2.
> 
> (Part 2 of 6)

There had not been much more than fleeting glimpses of the Australians for three days. They emerged at meal times, but that was about it. Otherwise they were furiously composing the incantations to send Mildred and Ethel home. Ada and HB had put them in guest quarters and they were enjoying themselves. Things were the same but different. Meeting themselves had been surreal. They had, in fact found themselves back in time and meeting their teenage selves in their own universe. It was one of the many adventures of Hallow and Hubble. This was different though. This was their teenage selves living in the present. They'd grown up in a different time. They were out. HB was out. Ada was out. Mildred couldn't imagine being out while they'd been at Cackle's. Neither could Ethel. They'd all known about HB, of course. And Imogen. Nobody had ever really minded, nobody had spoken about it either though.

They couldn't imagine their HB looking at anyone with the open affection this HB did Ada, not even Imogen. But here they were, with their easy and open devotion. It was nice. It made Mildred a little sad that their own HB had never had that, had never felt safe enough to show open affection to anybody in front of anyone else. Every year Imogine dragged her to pride and for one night a year she held Imogen's hand in public. One night a year, Constance Hardbroom, the most fearless person Mildred had ever met, held her wife's hand in public and marched, unafraid. She went bar hopping with some of her old students. For one night a year Constance Hardbroom was free and open. It was, by no means, a secret at Cackle's nowadays. The students knew, the parents knew, and none of them cared, and not just because they were too scared of HB to object.

Mildred's thoughts were interrupted by Ethel's lips on her cheek.

"What's occupying that head of yours?" She said.

"Thinking about HB. Our HB. Both of them really."

"There's something about this one."

"There is."

"I'll see you later. Dimity asked if I'd help out with an extra flying lesson for the first years."

"Love you," Mildred replied.

Ethel kissed her on the head on her way out.

Mildred decided she needed some air and found herself wondering the grounds. She looked up and could see Ethel, Dimity and the first years on their brooms. One of the girls overbalanced and fell, Ethel caught her, quick as a flash. Mildred caught the girl's poor cat with a spell and set the creature back on the back of the broomstick.

"Wow!" Mildred's younger alternate self said, "where did you learn to do that?"

"It's a trick our HB taught me. She used it on poor Tabby enough times."

"You mean your HB actually likes you?"

"Now that I'm cooked, as she likes to say. Yours does like you really."

"If you say so."

"Five years, I guarantee it."

The younger gave her a sceptical look.

"I... can we talk?" The younger said after a beat.

"What's on your mind?"

The younger made a few false starts.

"You and Ethel..." She managed finally, "Because you and her... does that mean me and..."

"I really don't know. The more relevant question is: do you want it to?"

"I... it's complicated... we're complicated. We're friends now, but last year..."

Mildred the elder glanced up at her Ethel in the air on her broomstick.

"We've got a pretty complicated past too."

"I turned her into a pig once."

"Did that."

"She turned me into a frog."

"That happened too. As did various acts of sabotage."

"What happened?"

"One day we decided it was better to have a friend than an enemy and we'd be better lifting each other up than dragging each other down. So we did. Our rivalry having been the bane of our HB's life for half a decade she was simultaneously very pleased and very frustrated to find out."

"And then?" 

"One day we tried true tandem casting, just to see if we could do it. We were inseparable by this point, we lived together, had most of our classes together at Wierdsister, quite a few people didn't know us independently of one another. The only other people we'd ever known to be able to do it were our HB and Miss Cackle. It turned out to be true but it was just a rumour back then. We heard it from some girls a year above us, Fen and Gris, who heard it from someone two years above them, who heard about it from an older sister who'd apparently seen them do it at some teaching conference that summer which may or may not have actually happened. As you may imagine, there are a number of things that can go wrong. And, according to what we call Hubble's Law, anything that can go wrong will go wrong, in the bizarrest possible way when I'm involved. It was significantly less common by the time I left Cackle's but it did still happen. In this instance, however..."

"What happened?"

"There's this magical empathy ritual."

"Like a friendship trap?"

"Did that to you too, did they?"

Mildred the younger nodded.

"It's more complicated and you have to do it yourself. Which we accidentally did while trying to do a remodelling spell on or flat. We ended up being able to hear and feel each other's thoughts and feelings for... three, four, weeks and by the end of it..."

"So it's a kind of love spell?"

"No, we just became very aware of each other's feelings and needs. It's hard to explain but we'd been moving around it for a while. I can't imagine my life without her now."

"I still don't know if it's what I want."

"Mildred, you're thirteen years old. I'm fairly sure you're not supposed to. I will tell you one thing though," Mildred looked up at Ethel again, "That woman is the best thing that ever happened to me, I wouldn't trade her for anything in the world. She's my best friend, she's the love of my life and I am so grateful that I get to call her my wife. And I regret every day we were at odds."

"That's at least two things, maybe more."

"It's times like these when I understand why I gave HB that particular headache at school."

"What dos that mean?"

"Nothing. Remember though, my story isn't necessarily yours, but it s better to have a friend than an enemy."


	8. Convergence III

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Because if anyone's going to end up in another universe on their way to their Cackle's reunion it's Mildred Hubble. It's been almost two decades since Mildred and Ethel were students at Cackle's Academy. Ethel and Mildred are now happily married. Meeting their alternate universe selves was not how they'd expected the day to go but meeting expectations had never been a big part of their lives.
> 
> Takes place sometime in Season 3. Slight AU from the end of season 2.
> 
> (Part 3 of 6)

Ethel the younger slid into the chair opposite Ethel the elder in the library.

"So, what's the deal with you and Hubble?"

"You mean my wife?"

"That's a weird thought."

"It might surprise you to know it would have been to me at your age as well."

"So you weren't..."

"Merlin, no. We were sworn enemies at Cackles, mostly."

"Mostly?"

"She was very good to my little sister, Sibyl, again mostly."

"So what happened?"

"We ended up flatmates at Weirdsister after being at odds our entire time at Cackle's. Mildred thinks it was HB's doing but she's yet to admit it and I think she would have taken credit. We decided it was better to have a friend than an enemy. We became nearly inseparable. We'd been playing around with the idea of trying out true tandem casting for a while and we tried it out. Because of 'Hubble's Law'..."

"Hubble's Law?"

"Anything that can go wrong will go wrong, in the most strange and interesting maner possible when my Mildred’s around."

"Well, that sounds about right."

"Life is always interesting. Anyway, we ended up accidentally performing an empathy ritual and hearing and feeling each other's thoughts and feelings for a good three weeks."

"But the empathy ritual isn't a love spell."

"Even if it were, it wouldn't last eighteen years. We'd been dancing around it for a while."

Ethel the elder could tell there was something behind Ethel the younger's line of questioning that she wasn't saying. She waited patiently, knowing her alternate self would find her way there eventually. Ethel the elder pressed on.

"Mildred's made me a better person, and a better witch."

"How?"

"She makes me a better person generally. Kinder, more likable. Even Nightstar, my cat, likes me better. We put a great deal of effort into bringing each other down as rivals. After we put it aside we put that energy into lifting each other up. It's always better to have a friend than a rivals.

"So, explain to me again this spell we're doing to send you home and why it's so complicated."

"The Australians are adapting it from a spell in an Arthurian text that may or may not be a real spell."

"So it may not even work?"

"Well, the spell science is sound and rites like it do appear elsewhere fr other types of translocation. It's very like a time travel rite that is a real and working spell that The Australians recreated at university. Or, so they tell us. The problem with Medieval spells is that they take a lot more power to cast than modern spells because magic users had a lot more power then which is why we're using eighty people to do it instead of the dozen or so they use in the story."

"But we aren't all doing the same spell?"

"We are, in the sense that we're all working for the same goal but there are several elements to it. You, me ad the Mildreds have one part. We'll be repeating the incantation The Australians gave us earlier today. They have a different incantation in Old-English, which they'll be using in true tandem. HB and Mrs Cackle will be doing a third incantation in true tandem, that one in Latin. Then there'll be a group, Probably including Fenella, Griselda, Sibyl, Clarice and Beatrice doing a fourth incantation. Everyone else is going to be belting out 'Seasons of Love' to boost the power of the casters."

"Why not use a regular power boosting chant?"

"Because show tunes are much more effective, especially on queer casters, which most of the primaries are."

"How does that work?"

"It's a thing that nobody completely understands."


	9. Convergence IV

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Because if anyone's going to end up in another universe on their way to their Cackle's reunion it's Mildred Hubble. It's been almost two decades since Mildred and Ethel were students at Cackle's Academy. Ethel and Mildred are now happily married. Meeting their alternate universe selves was not how they'd expected the day to go but meeting expectations had never been a big part of their lives.
> 
> Takes place sometime in Season 3. Slight AU from the end of season 2.
> 
> (Part 4 of 6)

The day had arrived. It had been ten days preparation and rehearsal. Every one knew exactly what to do. It had been a massive undertaking. To say there was tension in the air would have been an understatement. They were still only mostly sure it was going to work. For reasons unknown Pippa, HB and Ada had been fielding mirror calls from parents unsure why their children had been taken out of lessons for an entire week to perform a once in a lifetime spell. Ada and Pippa were more... delicate about it than HB, who had turned on her most menacing demeanour and informed them that the girls were helping perform a wildly complex and ancient spell, probably last performed in concert with Merlin himself, if at all. And if they wished to deprive their daughters of such a rare and valuable learning opportunity, they were welcome to find another school because they clearly didn't place the value on education that Cackles' was looking for in their school community. Mildred the elder had been to the side for one such call and had needed to stuff her fist in her mouth to stay the peels of hysterical laughter until after the chastised parents had disconnected the call.

"Some things never change, I see," HB had said.

Everyone, near a hundred people, were gathering on the parade ground.

"I still don't quite understand why I'm leading the show-tunes brigade," Dimity was saying.

"Because," Mildred said, "you're not magical in our universe."

"You can't be a primary or secondary caster because your counterpart doesn't have powers to tap into to make the connection," Jayne said.

"What about you two? They've never even heard of you."

"Know any other tandem casters who speak Old-English, Dimity?" Aeryn said.

"There's always us," Gris said, putting an arm around Fen.

"Why am I not surprised," HB said, exasperated.

"Excellent," Jayne said, "You can sub in tomorrow if we can't make the connection with our alternate selves. We should be able to tell if that's the problem."

Dimity had marked positions on the lawn for the dry run the previous day and the primary and secondary casters stood on their marks. The secondaries encircled the primaries. The Mildreds and Ethels stood in the centre facing each other. The Australians and HB and Ada stood on either side facing them. The circle of secondaries faced the primaries. The tertiaries surrounded the secondaries in groups of about twenty facing Dimity on a raised platform in front of the castle's main doors.

The Tertiaries took their cue from Dimity and the accompaniment she'd conjured. They began singing their hearts out. The Secondaries started up heir incantation on Pippa's cue. The primaries felt the power swell in them with the music. The Australians joined hands and started their incantation. With The Old- English their surroundings began to change. They were still at Cackles' but moving on to somewhere else, not instead of, as well as. Hecate and Ada joined hands and began their incantation. With the Latin, this other place... no, plane solidified further around them They were still at Cackles', but not exclusively. The Mildreds and Ethels joined hands and began their own incantation. They were joined then, by confused looking counterparts from their own universe. Amelia Cackle and Constance Hardbroom, A woman, instantly recognisable as Aeryn. Next to her was an aboriginal woman they recognised as Jayne's counterpart, though that wasn't her name. They were surrounded by familiar auxiliars of all kinds. This was a place not just anyone could come, a sacred place.

Lines of white ochre snaked their way along the chocolate brown skin of Jayne's counterpart. Where everyone else was only half on the sacred plane she was manifesting fully, becoming more and more solid as the lines of ochre settled on her skin. The glowing form of her familiar axillar was a dusky red dingo. It was a beautiful creature and it circled the primary casters just inside the ring of secondaries. Not-Jayne Stood between the Ethels and Mildreds, She took one wrist of each of the elders. She turned to the youngers and said:

"Remember, It's better to have a friend than an enemy."

Nobody had the time to reflect on the fact that, despite the differences in appearance between Jayne and her counterpart, her voice was exactly the same. Almost as she finished speaking however, everyone was thrown, rather violently back into their own universe. The only one who had moved at all in space was Jayne's counterpart.


	10. Convergence V

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Because if anyone's going to end up in another universe on their way to their Cackle's reunion it's Mildred Hubble. It's been almost two decades since Mildred and Ethel were students at Cackle's Academy. Ethel and Mildred are now happily married. Meeting their alternate universe selves was not how they'd expected the day to go but meeting expectations had never been a big part of their lives.
> 
> Takes place sometime in Season 3. Slight AU from the end of season 2.
> 
> (Part 5 of 6)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The term 'white fella' means something closer to 'outsider' in this context.
> 
> Yaz and Jayne are not sisters in a biological sense and 'grandmother' isn't actually their biological grandmother. It's a kinship thing that will come up again later.

Cackles' Academy were thrown back into their own reality rather harshly.

Dimity, who owing to her non magical counterpart had missed the whole thing, navigated her way through the pile of disoriented people on the parade ground until she made it to the primaries.

"What happened, did it work?"

"Dimity," HB began, "does it look like we have an extra Mildred Hubble and Ethel Hallow?"

"Hecate," Ada admonished gently.

"I'm sorry, Ada but being thrown onto my backside from a sacred celestial plane gives me a short temper."

"Is there anything that doesn't give you a short temper, HB?" Dimity said.

HB shot her a look.

Dimity flinched.

Mildred and Ethel looked at each other

"You knew that was going to happen," Aeryn said to her wife. it wasn't a question.

"Yes," Jayne replied.

"You know something, don't you?"

"Yes. I've met my counterpart before."

"What, why didn't you say anything."

"We're forbidden to talk about it with outsiders. I's one of our most sacred cultural secrets. To share it with a white fella..."

"I know, I know."

"She... Yindi, her name is Yindi... is the custodian of the sacred plane, that's the place we just came from. She appeared to me while I was doing an initiation rite while I was an undergrad and she told me some things I was going to need to know."

"For this."

"This and something else."

"Are you going to tell me what?"

"No."

"Because it's sacred knowledge you aren't allowed to share with outsiders."

"Yes. I have to commune with Grandmother."

Jayne was glad it was a warm spring day. This ritual was unpleasant to do in the cold. The white ochre did not have the same effect against her sun worn alabaster skin as it did against her counterpart's chocolate brown.

Jayne began to chant in the tongue of her adoptive people. She phased from her place in the green forest surrounding Cackles' to her favourite place in the world, or an analogue of it anyway. the damp cool that constituted a spring day in England was replaced by a dry, dusty heat.

"Grandmother?" Jayne called out.

Instead of the wrinkled old woman Jayne was expecting she was greeted by a woman of her own age a very familiar woman of her own age who she hadn't laid eyes on for some time.

"So it's you now, sister?" Jayne said.

"Yes."

"When?"

"A month or so ago."

"It must have been just after... I hadn't heard."

"I'm glad to see you. Grandmother... she said I was ready, but I'm not so sure."

They sat on, what was a path in the real world, but here was just a patch of red dirt in the cool shadow of the rock.

"I'm not surprised that this the place you call me to. You always loved it here."

"Proposed to my wife here."

"I remember."

"You are ready for this, sister."

"You know, you are allowed to call me Yaz here, Jayne. The sacred plane isn't going to collapse if we call each other by our first names on it."

"But, I thought..."

"So did I. Apparently it's just something Grandmother made everyone do."

"Are you ok?"

"I miss her. She was..."

"I know, I miss her too."

The ochre that was snaking itself over Yaz's skin was settling now.

"I assume you're not here on a social call. That is frowned upon, you know?"

"You remember on our rite when we... When my counterpart appeared to us?"

"It's happened?"

"The first part."

"I did feel you and about a hundred white fellas on the sacred plane just now. Any idea what's to come?"

"You see, that's the thing..."


	11. Convergence VI

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Because if anyone's going to end up in another universe on their way to their Cackle's reunion it's Mildred Hubble. It's been almost two decades since Mildred and Ethel were students at Cackle's Academy. Ethel and Mildred are now happily married. Meeting their alternate universe selves was not how they'd expected the day to go but meeting expectations had never been a big part of their lives.
> 
> Takes place sometime in Season 3. Slight AU from the end of season 2.
> 
> (Part 6 of 6)

"Yindi," HB said in greeting.

Everyone stared.

"Constance," Yindi said.

Everyone stared.

"My wife, Imogen Drill, Miss Amelia Cackle, headmistress. I'll let everyone else introduce themselves."

Everyone stared.

"Oh, please," HB said. "Everyone, contrary to popular belief, I do have friends outside this school. This is Dr Yindi Holden, archaeologist. I spent a year at The Australian Witching University in Alice Springs. Yindi here was kind enough to show me around."

Everyone stared.

"You look well, sister," Yindi said.

Everyone stared.

"I am, thank you. And if the rest of you don't stop staring, you'll all loose your eyes."

Everyone stopped staring.

"Same old Constance. Yaz sends her love."

"You finally make an honest woman out of her?"

Everyone pointedly did not stare.

"Last year. You should come and visit. We'd all love to see you."

Everyone had recovered sufficiently by this point.

"Oh," Mildred said, "how did the reunion go?"

"You mean the one happening today?" HB said. "I am many things, Mildred, but clairvoyant isn't one of them."

"What?" Imogen said, "yes it is."

"Not the point, dear," HB said.

"Ten days, Constance. They've been in the other reality for ten days. I brought you back to the day you left," Yindi explained.

"Oh, that's good. We've been looking forward to it," Mildred said.

Yindi spoke in her mither tongue with her old friend and Constance replied in kind.

Everyone returned to pointedly not staring.

Yindi crouched down and appeared to blow away on the wind.

All further discussion was muted when the others began to arrive for the reunion.

"It would be best," HB said, "if nobody mentioned Yindi or her people when telling this story."

"Look at you, all mysterious," Imogen said.

Yindi's Familiar Axilular was still here, or perhaps it had returned, nobody had noticed either way. It padded across the courtyard towards the castle.

Constance excused herself and followed as it navigated the hallways expertly to their rooms.

The ethereal creature lay on the bed until Constance scratched it's ears fondly and then it blew away on the wind like Yindi herself had, leaving a neatly folded note in Yindi's distinctive and familliar hand.

Constance read it and then looked at it thoughtfully.

"So," Imogen said, leaning in the doorway. "Are you going to tell me what that was all about?"

"Some, later, after the reunion. I'll tell you what I can. It's sacred knowledge to Yindi's people, forbidden to discuss with outsiders. I don't even know all of it, and I'm partially initiated."

"Should I be worried about a secret note from an old flame?"

"Why is it," HB said, "that you think every old friend I have outside this academy is an old flame?"

"I suppose I assume everyone finds you as irresistible as I do. "

"You didn't always. I seem to remember you and I getting off to a rocky start."

"I sem to remember something about non-magical people having no place at Cackle's."

"I believe the term I actually used was 'civilised society'."

"Yes, I believe it was."

"I was, as it happens, with someone while I was in Alice Springs, but it wasn't Yindi. She was well and truly with her wife by then. It was someone else in our year, one of Yindi's people. That's why I was partially innitiated... we were... I was going to stay."

"You've said, what happened?"

"We... her, Yindi, Yaz and I were performing a rite. She... didn't survive. I finished out the academic year and came home. The four of us, her, Yindi, Yaz and I, were going to change the world together. I looked quite out of place with them, lily white and English. I'd never felt more at home anywhere though. They were my sisters. They are my sisters. I never thought I'd feel that way again, I certainly never thought anyone would feel that way about me. Then I met you."


	12. Under the Stars

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This takes place at the end of 108 (1998): The Great Outdoors.

It was a clear, brisk night. The girls and rocky mountain rangers were all in bed. Imogen and that man were still outside by the fire, discussing whatever it was outdoors types discussed. Constance had seen the girls to bed and retired to the cabin where she sat by the fire writing Yindi. Yindi was an old friend, one of few she kept in sporadic touch with.

Constance's life was divided into three distinct periods.

Before Broomhead, Broomhead and After Broomhead.

Yindi had come at the very end of 'Before Broomhead'. Before Weirdsister, Constance been invited to spend a year studying abroad at The Australian Witching University in Alice Springs. She'd toyed with the idea of completing her studies there for several months but had ultimately decided to return home. If she hadn't...

Yindi had been and remained a good friend to her. She'd learned as much from Yindi and her people in the scant few months she'd been wih them as she had her entire time at Wiedsister and then some.

Yindi was very good at writing Constance, once a month or so, more often if she had something to say. Constance was less good at writing back. She'd been the happiest she'd ever been at AWU, she'd wanted to stay forever and she often wished she had.

Constance didn't notice Imogen leaning against the wall just inside the door for almost a full miniate.

"Imogen," HB said, by way of greeting.

"Who are you writing to?"

"A friend, you don't know her."

"HB, I... I'm sorry we fought, about the whole magic thing."

This thing between them was new and neither were quite sure exactly what it was. It resisted defining. Constance had not felt the way she was beginning to feel in a very long time. Not since Australia and... this was why she was writing Yindi.

"Are you going to tell me what it was really about?" HB said.

Imogen took the other fireside armchair and collected her thoughts.

"I'm always the ordinary one. For once I wanted the rest of you to be ordinary with me."

"You aren't ordinary though."

"You say that, but you're all flying around on broomsticks and I'm riding a pushbike."

"I didn't know it bothered you."

"It doesn't, not usually."

"You equate being non-magical with being ordinary when there a great many magical people who are exceedingly ordinary. The great wizard for a start."

"What exactly do you have against him anyway?"

"You mean, aside from the fact he's as dull as paint?"

"I thought you liked that sort of thing."

"You all seem to have some strange ideas about me."

"Which you have nothing to do with, of course."

"I happen to think you're quite extraordinary."

Imogen thought she must have misheard because she'd never known HB to give anyone a complement of any kind, not without looking as if it hurt. The most HB looked now was a little put out at having to say the words.

HB laughed.

"It's the truth. I know what it's like to be an outsider and you spend ten months a year as one of two non-magical members of a very small closed community. You do well."

"I seem to remember quite a different tune when I first arrived."

"You weren't the first non-magical PE teacher Cackle's had ever had. We had a string of them, right back to before I was a pupil. You were the first one to last more than a term. We went through a dozen when I was a pupil, two dozen between when I started teaching and when you arrived, but you've lasted ten times as long as any of them. In the history of Cackles here would have been almost a hundred non-magical PE teachers, none of whom lasted more than a term. Then, five years ago, you arrived. You succeeded where a hundred people before you failed and, I think that makes you extraordinary."

"Just when I think I've got you figured out."

"There's those funny ideas again. Are you staying?"

"Better not, the girls. It would be quite the scandal if someone were to find my tent unslept in. Especially with a man about."

"What, you worried about your reputation as a gold star? I thought you liked him, he seems like your type."

"I do like him, and as far as throwing back a few beers, going for a hike and talking about girls he is my type. As far as sneaking off to make out, not so much. And how do you know about being a gold star?"

"I wouldn't be much of a lesbian if I didn't know what 'gold star' means."

"I have literally never known you to interact with another queer person or our culture."

"Have you met Fenella and Griselda? Or Amelia, for that matter?"

"Amelia's sexual orientation is cheese, she doesn't count. I'll give you Fen and Gris."

"I do have friends outside this school, you know."

"Ah, the mystery woman you're writing to. Who is she?"

"What makes you think it's a woman?"

"Because, you can't stand anything male and animate."

"Yindi Holden. She's a friend from my time in Australia. And, yes, she's the one who taught me what 'gold star' means."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For those who don't know, a 'gold star' lesbian is a lesbian/same sex attracted woman who has never been with a man. There are also 'gold star' gays who are gay/same sex attracted men who have never been with a woman. It was a big thing in the 90s but less so now.


	13. Arthur Unbound I

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This takes place in a slight AU of the 2017 series. Jayne is the same Jayne from 'The Australians' and 'Convergence' but she doesn't have magic in this universe.
> 
> (Part 1 of 3)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ealdefæder is Old-English for grandfather. The -es ending puts it in the genitive (possessive) case so ealdefæderes translates roughly to ‘my grandfather’ or grandfather of mine’ in this context. Technically it’s just ‘grandfather of…’ but standing alone the ‘mine’ is implied. It’s a slight vulgarisation.
> 
> Avus is Latin for grandfather. Avusī is the genitive form. This is also a slight vulgarisation. Latin has three more cases than Old-English and one of them is the vocative (form of address which would be proper here) technically she should say Ō Avus but I’ve used the genitive instead for two reasons:
> 
> 1\. she uses the same form of the same word in two different languages which illustrates that she doesn’t see Merlin and Arthur as anything less than equal in parental status.
> 
> 2\. Although Æthelflæd and Ælfwynn, would have spoken perfect Latin its vulgar form would have differed greatly between England and Rome even though the Classical forms were the same (grammatical variation, celtic, and even possibly Norse, lone words).
> 
> Modor is Old English for ‘mother’ it’s a weak noun so the Nominative (subject), Accusative (object) and Genitive cases are identical. In this instance I’m using the genitive.
> 
> Fæder is Old-English for ‘father’
> 
> Pater is Latin for ‘father’ (Gen is patertris)

It was probably the clearest night Cackle’s academy had seen in five hundred years or more. There wasn’t a cloud in the sky and there was no electricity for about a hundred miles in any direction. Some catastrophic fault in the power grid apparently. This was what the night sky was supposed to look like. The night was inky black, the world seemed to be lilt only by the sliver of moon and the infinite stars that burned in the universe. On the ground there was only firelight. The castle stood like a beacon, lit the way it was built to be lit. the bustling city at the foot of the mountain was dark while the castle was bathed in warm firelight. This was how things were supposed to be. The night was brisk but not cold and a light warming spell was all Hecate Hardbroom needed to be quite comfortable in her usual daywear. She may have been flexing The Code slightly by not wearing her cloak for warmth, still, it barely constituted a grey area.

Casually standing atop the battlements while they were lit just so Hecate invoked the image of the witches of legend, protecting some medieval King or Lord from whatever magical threat happened to be present. The true story of King Arthur danced around in the back of Hecate’s mind. She smiled to herself. The non-magical world had gotten that one very wrong indeed. Mostly due to late eighteenth century propaganda, as was the root of so many mythic misconceptions. That and the creative liberties of Geoffrey of Monmouth. There was a witching tale of Merlin and Morgan La Fay maintaining wards around Camelot Castle while it was besieged for forty days and nights while every citizen of Camelot sheltered inside the city walls. Every day, from dawn until dusk the Knights and men of Arthur’s Army would shout from the battlements showing all those within and without that Camelot stood strong.

Hecate’s imagination must have been running away from her because two of the three figures that had been drawing closer to the castle out of the blackness with their flickering firelight torches appeared to be in Pendragon cloaks and in the dark and stillness of the night Hecate was sure she could hear the faintest chink of mail as they approached. Hecate watched them approach a while longer and when they reached the gate Hecate transferred herself to the gate, more than a little curious.

These three were magical beings, she could feel it immediately. The one in the middle was certainly a wizard, although he didn’t dress like one in his stone coloured slacks, brown hiking boots fine marino emerald V-neck jumper, open collared dark grey shirt and well-worn black leather jacket. The only thing of his attire that hinted at his wizard status was the lining of his jacket. It was crimson satin with a gold dragon pattern. He was a wizard though; the most powerful wizard Hecate had ever encountered. This man was easily eight or ten times as powerful as The Great Wizard. Compared to this man even Hecate’s own considerable powers seemed like cheap parlour tricks. Hecate was very aware that this man could probably reduce the school and everyone in it to rubble if he so desired and the combined power of every magical being within a thousand miles would be no match for this man. This man was old magic.

The other two, a man and woman, had a more subdued magic, but that too was old. They were not, in fac, in Pendragon cloaks and mail. They were dressed very similarly and much more casually than their companion. In slate grey cargo pants, brown para-military style jackets and combat boots they looked almost as if they were in fatigues. There were flourishes to both jackets though, patches, badges and pins, coloured hand stitching. The Jackets were just busy enough to detract attention the embroidered Pendragon crest on heir right shoulders. Around each of their necks, on a leather cord, hung a two-inch-long sword. Not stylised so as to be attractive or decorative but at full size they would make fine weapons. The woman was attractive Hecate noted. Thirty-five or so, fit, muscled, bore fairly obvious but not disfiguring battle scars. There was something else about the woman Hecate couldn’t quite place. The man didn’t have visible scars but he too ad the look of past combat about him.

“Well met,” the uber-wizard said.

He touched his slightly bowed forehead in greeting. The others followed suit.

Hecate returned the gesture, “well met.”

The wards having alerted her, Ada Cackle was stood just out of sight watching with interest.

“Do you know who we truly are sister?”

Having never met the uber-wizard or either of his companions before Hecate was briefly taken aback. Hecate didn’t know who the late-night callers were, truly or otherwise, having been given exactly no information on the subject. She was about to say as much when she realised.

These people were of old magic, very old.

They bore tee Pendragon symbol.

_…When their land faces her greatest need, they will emerge from the darkness with singing mail…_

Hecate hadn’t imagined the pendragon cloaks or the chinking of mail through the darkness.

Standing at the castle gates asking admittance were three people she never thought she’d live to see…

“Arthur Pendragon. Merlin. And… Sorry, who are you?”

“Sir Jayne, first knight of Camelot. Also, Dr Jayne Eastick, archaeologist.”

Jayne shook Hecate’s hand firmly. Hecate was taken aback for two reasons. The first was Jayne’s unmistakably Australian accent. The second was tat Jayne was distinctly female. Jayne made plenty of appearances in the witching tales of King Arthur. Hecate, like everyone else, had always assumed Arthur’s right-hand man was male. There was, in actual fact a loose (and while persistent and stretching back to the beginning of Arthurian scholarship, not particularly large) conglomerate of witching scholarship who ascribe to the theory that King Arthur’s right-hand man was actually a woman. While Jayne is sometimes referred to as ‘brother’ or by other traditionally masculine endearments, gender neutral pronouns and descriptors are consistently used in Latin, Old-English and early Middle-English sources. Jayne isn’t definitively gendered as male until very late Middle English sources. Even then, it’s so sparce and inconsistent some attribute those examples as scribal error. Yet another thing late eighteenth-century propaganda has to answer for.

“Sorry,” Hecate said, “I- “

“Thought I was male?”

“Well yes.”

“Don’t worry about it, everyone always does.”

Hecate invited them in and transferred all four of them to the sitting room in Ada’s office. Ada wasn’t there. It was still half an hour until lights out so some of the girls were still up and around and It wasn’t uncommon for the headmistress to be doing the rounds, touching base with some of the girls, playing cards. Ada deeply valued her time she spent with their girls and they valued it just as much.

Hecate reached out for Ada with her magic. It wasn’t a tracking spell exactly. It was more organic, instinctual, animalistic, only possible between powerful sorcerers with a deep connection. Most people couldn’t do it, it required a rare set of circumstances that all had to fit together just right. When those circumstances slot together the method is almost infallible and can’t be blocked. Hecate excused herself to get Ada leaving Jayne, Arthur and Merlin in the office.

Hecate could pinpoint Ada to within about a foot anywhere in the world, Hecate was in no real hurry so she used the connection as a pointer and followed it until she found Ada with a small group of second years embellishing a tale of a particular escapade in the seventies. At least Hecate thought she was embellishing, Ada had never admitted as much. Hecate caught Ada’s eye and they shared a silent conversation after which Ada excused herself.

They were inexpertly followed back to Ada’s office. When they arrived it appeared that Jayne, Merlin and Arthur had deemed no more than one armchair necessary between the three of them. Merlin was sitting on the chair that was usually Hecate’s while Jayne and Arthur were perched on either armrest. Ada took the armchair opposite and Hecate perched herself on Ada’s armrest.

Ada offered tea.

“So,” Ada said once introductions had been made, “what brings you here?”

“That’s rather a long story that I can’t tell you yet,” Merlin began.

“He can’t tell you because he doesn’t know,” Arthur supplied, “he has nearly two millennia of memories and experiences knocking about in his head. They don’t always come to the surface in quite the right way.”

“Basically,” Jayne finished, “we know we have to be here, we just don’t know why.”

“What do you think Mildred,” Hecate said with a twitch of her wrist and a private smile.

The door swung open o expose Mildred Hubble listening attentively at the keyhole. She stepped all the way through the door sheepishly.

“Sorry, Mrs Hardbroom.”

Mildred turned to leave.

“No, you might as well stay. I’d bet good money you’ll be tied up in this somehow.”

Mildred came the rest of the way in. As soon as she saw the visitors properly she clutched her head and cried out in pain. Jayne was next to her like a shot and Hecate was right behind her.

Mildred’s eyes darted around the room, taking stock, a moment later

“Jayne! Ealdfæderes! Avusī! Mordor!” The last was directed at Hecate.

Hecate looked at Ada and then back at Mildred.

“Mordor?” Mildred repeated at Hecate’s confused look, “why doesn’t she recognise me?”

Mildred looked from Jayne, to Arthur, to Merlin.

“She doesn’t recognise us either Ælf,” Jayne supplied when it appeared nobody else was going to.

“What do you mean?” Hecate asked.

“Well unless…” Merlin trailed off, “give me your arm.”

Merlin took hold of Hecate’s wrist, his magic snaking through her veins.

“She’s powerful, her magic is holding back Morgana. She’s there but the memories can’t get through,” Merlin said, releasing Hecate’s wrist.

“I’m sorry, I don’t follow,” Ada said.

“Nor do I,” Hecate added.

Arthur and Merlin did not seem eager to elaborate, having a conversation in half sentences between themselves.

“You’re familiar with Arthurian mythology, yes?” Jayne began.

“Of course,” Ada replied.

“And I assume the witching version is a good deal more accurate than the non-witching version?”

“Naturally,” Hecate replied.

“Basically, the story pauses when Arthur and I die in battle with an epitaph that we will return when the need is greatest. But it isn’t just the three of us returning, it’s a lot of the figures who turn up in the legends.”

“And I’m Morgan La Fay?”

“No, you’re Morgana Pendragon. Daughter of King Arthur, otherwise known as Æthelflæd, Lady of Mercia. I gather from what Merlin said that your power is holding the part of you that is Morgana back. You should have remembered your previous life the moment you saw us properly just like Ælf did, in fact, you both probably should have remembered when you met each other.”

“And Mildred is?”

“Ælfwynn of Mercia. Your daughter.”

Hecate went very white. Ada guided her back to the armchair and clasped her shoulder comfortingly.

“Well,” said Merlin, “It looks like we’ve found the reason for our visit.”

“It seems you have,” Ada said, “Mildred, perhaps you could show our guests the castle. I think Mrs Hardbroom needs a bit of a sit down.”

“Yes, Mrs Cackle.”

A moment later Hecate and Ada were alone in the sitting room. Hecate let out a sigh.

“Of all the girls in all the world, why did Mildred Hubble have to end up the reborn daughter of my past self?”

“Well, it does make sense.”

“What? Why?”

“You do have a particular soft spot for her my love.”

“I do not have a soft spot for Mildred Hubble.”

“You have exactly two soft spots, one for me and one for Mildred. It makes sense, one for your wife and one for your daughter.”

“Ada.”

“You know what else, she’s a near perfect blend of you and me.”

“We are not adopting Mildred Hubble.”

* * *

“So,” Mildred said, “Tell me everything. How long have you been back? How did you come back? Who else have you found?”

“Well, I’ve been back about three months,” Arthur said, “Merlin sort of grew me.”

“Grew?”

“It’s a long story. I never actually left. I’ve just been waiting, watching.”

“I’ve been back six, seven years now.”

“How did that happen?”

“I was a soldier. IED in the Middle East. My old Identity and abilities kicked in just in time to protect me from the flames. After that I was discharged from the army and became an Archaeologist. I teach at a university now. Which reminds me, I don’t suppose I could have a look at what witching tales have to say about us.”

“I grew up non-magical so I don’t know what there is but I’m sure there’s something in the library, we can look tomorrow.”

* * *

Hecate was on lights-out duty. It was never anyone else, not really. Not unless Hecate wasn’t there. In the same way that Ada had her rounds with the girls, Hecate had hers. It was midterm break so about half the girls had gone home for a week or two. Hecate secretly liked this time of year She had the time and energy to devote to giving those that wanted it extra guidance. Hecate wasn’t like Ada, she couldn’t just spend leisure time with the girls. She didn’t do idle well. She could supervise school trips and days out. She could teach and be taught on nearly any subject. But playing chess or cards, taking tea. She enjoyed it with Ada, but even that had begun as a compromise. In the mid nineties, Ada had red a book that led her to believe that Hecate was on the fast track to burning out from stress and overwork. At the time Hecate had thought she was overreacting, in hindsight though Hecate thought she was probably right. And so, Ada had insisted they take tea together every day. Hecate didn’t really complain. For an hour every afternoon she had Ada’s undivided attention. 

Hecate knocked on Mildred’s door when she came to it, sticking her head through it to find Mildred reading. She looked up marking her page and setting the book aside carefully. Hecate absently recognised it as one of hr own, a book of magical lore she’d lent her after she’d asked a particularly obvious question that even Maud Spellbody and Enid Nighshade had laughed at. In a testament to Ethel Hollow’s new leaf, she was the only third year who hadn’t joined in.

“Mildred…” Hecate trailed off.

This was a bad Idea. Hecate was terrible at things like this. She sat on the end of Mildred’s bed and started again.

“I’m sorry I don’t remember you. As Ælfwynn, I mean. It isn’t intentional.”

“Is being my mother really so terrible a prospect Mo- Mrs Hardbroom?”

Mrs Hardbroom. She’d been Mrs Hardbroom for nearly five years. It made her happy, a lot of people, magical and non-magical alike had fought very hard for a very long time so that she and Ada could be Mrs and Mrs. Mildred Hubble though was the only student who had never slipped up and called either of them Miss. Not even the other staff could make that claim. The odd slip here and there wasn’t too bothersome really, but Hecate couldn’t quite stave off the pang of hurt every time.

“No, I could do very much worse.”

Hecate patted Mildred’s knee slightly awkwardly as she got up, “Sweet Dreams Mildred.”

“You too Mrs Hardbroom.”


	14. Arthur Unbound II

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This takes place in a slight AU of the 2017 series. Jayne is the same Jayne from 'The Australians' and 'Convergence' but she doesn't have magic in this universe.
> 
> (Part 2 of 3)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ealdefæderes is Old-English for 'grandfather'
> 
> Avusī is Latin for 'grandfather'
> 
> Modor is Old English for ‘mother’
> 
> Fæder is Old-English for ‘father’
> 
> Pateris is Latin for ‘father’
> 
> This: ‘ð’ is called an eth. It makes a th sound. No, I will not apologise for my dead language puns.

When Hecate Hardbroom finished her rounds and returned downstairs, she knew full well that the girls would creep into each other’s rooms for midnight feasts and the like. As long as they didn’t disturb each other and congregated in groups of five or fewer the staff left them to it over the holidays. They all thought themselves incredibly sneaky and clever for getting away with it.

There were only two third years still in the castle: Mildred and Ethel. A year ago (and possibly a year in the future) tis would have been cause for concern but, for the time being at least, they seemed to be getting along, even enjoying each other’s company which made everything run significantly smoother in third year. Generally, if they put their heads together year three could get themselves out of whatever they managed to get themselves into.

Three Hallows crept into Mildred’s bedroom. Ethel slid into the bed next to her, while Sibyl and Esmerelda sat at the foot if the bed.

“Who were those people?” Sibyl said, “Mrs Cackle was in the middle of telling us the Hippogriff story when she went off somewhere with HB. The next anyone saw of her was when she was with you and those three strangers.”

“You wouldn’t believe me if I told you.”

“Oh, come on Mildred,” Ethel rested her blonde head on Mildred’s shoulder and gazed up at her.

Sibyl and Esme pretended not to notice that their sister had been more overtly tactile and affectionate with Mildred in the span of the mid-term break than she had ever been with anyone in her entire life. It was definitely an improvement, and definitely a little (or big) crush. Mildred didn’t seem to mind.

“The one in the leather jacket? He’s Merlin. The other guy is King Arthur.”

“What about the woman?” Ethel asked.

“Her name is Jayne Eastick, she was, well is, Arthur’s right-hand man.”

“So she was a woman.” Esme said.

“Very much so, yes. There’s more… I’m Ælfwyn of Mercia reborn. I’m King Artur’s Granddaughter.”

“So your mother is Æthelflæd of Mercia?”

“My, as in Mildred’s, mother isn’t.”

“So, does this mean you have to go on a quest to find Ælfwynn’s mother reborn? Can I come?” Sibyl asked hopefully.

“Not exactly.”

“You mean you know where, who, she is?” Esme said.

“It’s HB. Something went wrong though. Merlin says Æthelflæd can’t get through. Something about HB being too powerful.”

“What are you going to do?”

“Avusī will think of something, he always does.”

“Avusī?”

“It’s Latin, loosely translates as ‘Grandfather of mine’. It’s what I always called Merlin when I was Ælfwynn.”

A short while later Esme and Sibyl made their excuses and left Ethel and Mildred alone. Ethel had not quite managed to move her head from its place on Mildred’s shoulder and now that Esme and Sibyl had left them alone Mildred slipped her arm around Ethel’s waist.

“You aren’t going to have some handsome reborn prince, or something come and sweep you off your feet at some point are you? Because if you are I’d rather know now, before I fall anymore in love with you,”

“No Eð, nobody is going to come from Ælfwynn’s past. and steal me away from you. I promise you that.”

“How can you be sure?”

“Because, I’m fairly certain Ælfwynn’s great love reborn is you.”

“Then why don’t I remember it?"

"I don't know, I'll ask Merlin."

"What happened?”

“By the time Arthur died Æthelflæd was already Queen of Mercia, had been for a while. Her husband was mortally wounded in a campaign he was leading alongside Arthur. One of his knights and one of Arthur’s knights just managed to get him back to Mercia before he died so she became Queen. When Arthur died she became Queen of Camelot and so Camelot and Mercia became one Kingdom. By the time Æthelflæd died there was only one other Kingdom in Britain, Northumbria. Ælfwynn fell in love with a beautiful sorceress named Ethel. She had Blonde hair and blue eyes. About eighteen months after Æthelflæd died The King of Northumbria captured her. He tried to execute her. He wanted to start a war so he could take Mercia.”

“What did you do?”

“I couldn’t take my people to war, it would have betrayed everything Arthur and Æthelflæd worked their entire lives for. I broke her out of the Northumbrian dungeons half dead. We disguised ourselves as eunuchs and hid in a monastery for the rest of our lives. Without a Queen, Mercia fell to the Northumbrian King. My people overthrew him in two months and elected a new King. And that’s how Britain happened.”

“So you gave up your entire Kingdom for a woman?”

“I had no choice. I couldn’t let her die and I couldn’t take my people to war over one woman, even if she was the love of my life. That had destroyed greater Kingdoms than mine. I took a leap of faith. I trusted that my people wouldn’t stand by for tyranny, and they didn’t.”

“So, what do you think is the problem with HB?”

“I don’t know.”

“Do you think she knew on some subconscious level and somehow managed to clamp down on the influx of memories and experiences as it stared?”

“She’d have had to be quick as a shot. It can’t have been more than a second between when I saw Arthur, Merlin and Jayne and when the memories started coming to me.”

“HB is pretty powerful. Most powerful witch I’ve ever met. More powerful than even The Great Wizard. And there’s Mrs Cackle.”

“What about her?”

“Think about it. They’ve been together twenty years. If a mythic medieval queen was about to take up residence in your mind, wouldn’t you try to stop it? You said it hurt, really hurt, perhaps that was your subconscious trying to keep Ælfwynn out? What if you just weren’t strong enough and HB is?”

They theorised for a while and when Ethel moved to leave Mildred stopped her.

“Please stay. I’ve had a bit of a day.”

When Hecate Hardbroom looked in on Mildred Hubble she was surprised and touched to see the two third years (and one-time rivals) currently in residence curled up together. Well this was a surprise. Ethel’s face was tucked into Mildred’s neck.


	15. Arthur Unbound III

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This takes place in a slight AU of the 2017 series. Jayne is the same Jayne from 'The Australians' and 'Convergence' but she doesn't have magic in this universe.
> 
> Partially inspired by 314 (1998): The Uninvited.
> 
> (Part 3 of 3)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ealdefæderes is Old-English for 'grandfather'
> 
> Avusī is Latin for 'grandfather'
> 
> Modor is Old English for ‘mother’
> 
> Fæder is Old-English for ‘father’
> 
> Pateris is Latin for ‘father’

Jayne walked the empty halls of Cackles Academy. She was tired but could not think of sleep. She was glad at having located Ælfwyn. It boded well that she was a thirteen-year-old girl, it meant that her actual involvement in whatever it was that was coming would be minimal. Jayne was worried about Morgana though. Trapped in that woman’s head. Morgana had proven herself immensely capable of handling any situation at any time in short order but it didn’t stop Jayne from worrying. She supposed nothing ever would. Morgana wasn’t her daughter, and she wasn’t Morgana’s mother but it was the closst either of them would ever have Jayne was there when Morgana was born, Ælfwyn too. All her life Morgana wanted to be just like Jayne. It was Morganas approval Jayne had sought when she had introduced Elisabeth at court for the first time, more even than Arthur’s. Morgana had learned her swordcraft at Jayne’s side.

Jayne’s thoughts were interrupted when Hecate appeared.

“Morgana,” Jayne said before she could stop herself, “I’m sorry. You look just like her.”

“It’s alright," Hecate said.

* * *

A week or so passed and Jayne, the archaeologist, was thoroughly engrossed in her research. Jayne, the knight, however, was beginning to get restless. Arthur had been in and out of the library as well, dividing his time between research and finding away to free Morgana from HB’s mind. It had been well and truly established that HB was not doing it on purpose, consciously or unconsciously. It was a pity because the solution would have been simple. Now, it was decidedly more complicated.

They had adopted a two-pronged research strategy. Merlin was magic, Jayne was myth. Arthur split his time between them.

The archaeologist in Jayne was patent and methodical. The wife and mother in Jayne was growing slightly restless being so far away from her present day wife and daughter, her worry for Morgana was only exasperating matters. The knight in Jayne was itching for a good quest. She was just contemplating this when Merlin appeared beside her and dropped a heavy (and very old) book on the table next to her with a thud. The archaeologist in Jayne grimaced inwardly at the treatment.

“I think,” Merlin declared, “I think I have a lead, but I need your help… where’s Arthur?”

“I thought he was with you.”

“I thought he was with you.”

“What have you found?” Jayne prompted.

Merlin read a passage aloud from the book he was mistreating.

Jayne racked her brain. It sounded similar to something she’d read before. Dammed if she knew exactly where or when. She read the passage again, trying to identify the culture that would have kept hold of it. She scanned the pile of books in front of her, cursing the lack of proper referencing in witching scholarship. Her eyes fell on: A Glossary of Intersection: A Brief Guide to Medieval Witching Lore in Non-Witching Scholarship. Jayne hadn’t red it yet, she had it out more for personal interest than anything and she intended to read it after they’d solved the Morgana problem.

The Glossary held the clue. Merlin’s passage corresponded to a tale from the time of William the Conqueror. She’d come across it while researching for an article. She produced a tiny plastic tub from her pocket. Merlin reversed the shrinking spell at a look from Jayne. Jayne pulled out dozens of miniaturised binders that were packed in neatly. They contained all of Jaynes meticulous research notes. She’d developed the system as an undergraduate and it had served her well. When she found the one she was looking for she let out a yelp of triumph and Merlin returned it to its normal size, Jayne scanned the index cards it contained.

“Eureka,” she said eventually, handing Merlin the card in question, “that could be corroborating evidence.”

“Could be?”

“Only if the source is independent.”

“So how do we find out exactly?”

“First thing we need to do is look at the sources. Lucky for us, non-witching scholarship references. Up for a quick jaunt to a university?”

Before Merlin could respond Jayne had smoothly slung her jacket on and had left to find Mildred whom she found playing cards with Ethel and Sibyl Hallow in the dining hall.

“Merlin and I need a book from a university, anyone up for a small quest?” it seemed impolite to just ask Mildred.

Mildred and Sibyl jumped at the chance while Ethel politely declined. With Mrs Cackle’s blessing the four of them set out. They arrived back at the school gates three hours later, the book in question tucked under Jayne’s arm, there was something very wrong indeed.

The castle was deathly silent. Merlin reached out with his magic and found only stillness. He looked at Jayne. Jayne took the sword from around her neck and whispered something to it, restoring it to its true size.

“Stay behind us,” Jayne said over her shoulder.

Mildred took Sibyl’s hand.

Jayne advanced, half a step ahead of Merlin, Sibyl and Mildred a step behind him. It was five full (and very long) minites before they saw any sign of anyone. It was two fourth year girls sleeping like the dead against a tree.

“Fen and Gris,” Mildred supplied,” are they?”

Merlin looked them over.

“No,” he said, “just asleep. Like like they just dropped whatever they were doing though.”

They pressed on, finding more and more people in the same state.

“Well, everyone’s accounted for. That’s a good sign.” Jayne said an hour and a half later.

“There’s no sign of anyone else either,” Merlin added.

“Are they going to be stuck like this forever?” Sibyl said.

“No. Every spell has a counter-spell, every poison an antidote, we just have to find them,” Jayne said with partially false conviction.

Something about the whole thing seemed somehow familiar. There was something just at the edge of consciousness, close enough to taste, but out of reach. Having established a distinct lack of clear and present danger Jayne and Merlin had set about researching a cure for whatever it was that had befallen the school. Mildred found herself sitting next to Ethel’s sleeping form in a hallway. She’d slid awkwardly down a wall when shed been hit with whatever it was, and her limbs had been at awkward angles when Mildred found her. Mildred had arranged Ethel’s limbs into a more comfortable position and was currently extemporising to her sleeping form when a stray thought wondered into her head.

That was ridiculous. It was only a fairy story. It couldn’t possibly work. Could it?

She tried it anyway.

Mildred liked kissing Ethel. It gave her butterflies and made her a bit giddy. Kissing her like this wasn’t quite the same. It didn’t feel quite right. Not until Ethel’s eyes fluttered open and she smiled into the kiss.

“Mildred? What happened?

“I think I might have just woken you from eternal sleep with a kiss.”

“How romantic. Wait, what?”

“When we got back from the university, the whole castle was asleep. I kissed you and now you’re awake.”

“Mildred, that’s not a thing.”

“It worked didn’t it.”

Ethel rolled her eyes, shrugged and followed Mildred to the library where Jayne and Merlin were trying to find how to get everyone out of their predicament. Sibyl was sitting close to where Esme and Arthur had been researching the previous predicament before succumbing to their current one.

“Ethe!” Sibyl was across the room like a shot.

“What happened?” Jayne said.

Mildred explained. Merlin opened his mouth to speak, thought better of it and kissed Arthur experimentally.

Arthur’s eyes fluttered open and he glanced around the room.

“Merlin? I thought you’d gone to a university for a book. What happened?”

Jayne held the book in the air, “we were hoping you could tell us that.”

“Kiss Esmerelda will you,” Merlin said, almost off hand.

Arthur raised an eyebrow.

“For science,” Jayne said.

“We need to know if it’s a prince thing, a magic thing or a true love thing,” Merlin explained.

Arthur shrugged and kissed Esmerelda. Her eyes opened.

“Sorry for the presumption,” Arthur said.

“It's alright. I feel weird, what happened?”

“Weird how?” Merlin asked, suddenly concerned.

“Not sure, kind of heavy and off.”

“Me too. It’s wearing off now.”

“So, do you three have to go around and kiss everyone now?” Sibyl said.

“Come on,” Arthur said, “we’ll start with the staff.”

Most of the staff were in the staff-room, with the exception of Miss Drill who they’d found in the broom-shed.

Arthur approached HB. When he kissed her, nothing happened.

“I think you have to do it Mildred,” Esme said

“It worked when I kissed you,” Arthur said.

“I’m straight. Straight women dream about being kissed by princes. HB is a massive lesbian.”

Mildred didn’t argue. When Hecate came around, she immediately crumpled o the ground and cried out in pain. Mildred leaped back in surprise. As quickly as it begun it was over and Hecate straightened. When Mildred moved to revive Mrs Cackle, Hecate’s hand stopped her.

“I think I ought to handle this one Ælf.”

“Modor?”

“My magic was temporarily knocked out, allowing Æthelflæd to come through properly. Patertris, Fæderes, Jayne. It’s good to see you.”

By nightfall everyone had been brought round. The cause of and motivation for the day’s events was still uncertain and that didn’t rest easy with anyone.


	16. Feverwood Academy for Rebel Witches I

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Fen and Gris are getting ready to open their school. But first, they want to show some old friends around.
> 
> This takes place in around 2008 in the 1998 Series universe.
> 
> (Part 1 of 2)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As was established in the last few chapters, I read a little Latin. the word 'Alumni' is the masculine plural form, though it is used to refer to groups of graduates that contain men and women (male or mixed gender graduates). 'Alumnae' is the feminine plural form which is used to refer to groups of female graduates. Cackle's being an all girls school, Alumnae is the correct form to use here.

Feverwood Academy was situated in a gloomy, drafty castle about five miles from Cackle's. It was a locale only Fen and Gris could have found. The school was mostly set up, all that it needed now (apart from pupils) were some long established traditions, a few ghost stories and some folklore, which was where the gang of fellow Cackle's Alumnae came in.

It had been a while since they'd all been together. They saw each other individually. Sibyl Hallow had spent some time doing post graduate research at AWU outside Alice Springs and hadn't really been heard from by anyone other than Mildred and Ethel. Ruby had become a bit of a recluse along with her mad inventor persona. Fen and Gris, themselves, had been quite consumed establishing Feverwood since they returned from their own postgraduate stint at AWU. Maud had been teaching chanting at an academy near Aberdeen. Jadu was teaching spell science in an utterly unpronounceable part of Wales. Enid had spent the last several years doing almost everything, almost everywhere. She had a pseudo half home base in Belfast but she was there less often than not.

All this made everyone very hard to pin down to the same place at the same time.

The first thing Mildred and Ethel saw when they arrived was the sign, which read:

FEVERWOOD ACADEMY

FOR REBEL WITCHES

Followed by the emblem Mildred had helped them design, a stylised purple bat in front of a grey full moon on an orange and green shield and then:

Heads: Miss Fenella Feverfew and Miss Griselda Blackwood

"Audio Video Disco Doceo"

_Est. 2008_

"I thought they were joking about the 'rebel witches' thing," Ethel remarked.

"So did I, I like it though."

"I don't know it's exactly what perspective parents want to see."

"That's probably the point."

"What about our girls, here or Cackle's?"

"My luck we'd end up with boys and have to find some co-ed school."

"We are not sending our sons to Pentangles."

"Ethel, did I say Pentangles?"

"With a bit of luck we'll get a rebel witch and a not so rebel witch and we can keep all of our witching academy running friends happy."

Their discussion regarding the education of their, thus far, non-existent children was cut short when Fen and Gris appeared to meet them.

It wasn't long before Jadu, Ruby, Enid and Sibyl arrived.

Sibyl had just returned from Australia for a visit and was very brown. Her hair was longer too and she looked as if she'd gained some muscle and flesh while she was over there. She looked good and it seemed to have done wonders for her constitution. Ruby was looking a little like she hadn't been outside in several months and she looked as if she'd not been eating properly. She didn't look sickly exactly, but she did look vaguely ill. Jadu, Maud and Enid looked the same as eveer, aulthough Maud had lost a little weight.

"Wasn't Clarice coming," Sibyl said once they'd settled in.

"Clarice couldn't make it. She's on bed rest," Mildred said.

"Bed rest?" Sibyl had a feeling she was missing something.

"You have been in Australia a long time," Gris said, "Clarice is very pregnant she thought she'd be alright to come this weekend but she hasn't been doing too well for the last couple of weeks."

They ordered pizza for dinner and, after tipping the confused and creeped out delivery boy generously, they all sat around on the floor in the great hall to eat.

"So," Fen was saying, "learn any secret Australian magic yet, Sibyl?"

"Secret Australian magic?" Jadu said.

"Rumour has it," Enid said, "that's where HB learned her vaguely omniscient disappearing trick."

"The Australians do all sorts of weird rites and rituals that they won't tell the rest of us about, or so they say," Maud added.

"Oh, you mean..." Sibyl trailed off, "well, yes but I can't talk about it."

"We were just talking about your stock standard weird Australian crap but you got let in on..." Gris said.

"HB?" Fen asked.

"HB," Sibyl replied.

The three of them refused to elaborate when the others pushed for more information and they eventually changed the subject.

* * *

It was almost midnight and they were exploring the castle. The thing about exploring vaguely spooky old castles, especially ones that house magic schools, is that it is best done in the middle of the night. That way one can experience optimal levels of creepyness and spookyness. They let the castle draw them to the secret places, nooks and crannies that only pupils were supposed to be able to find.

This expedition found at least a dozen rooms that Fen ad Gris had not yet discovered and were not on the floor-plan, which wasn't much better than a drunken sketch on the back of a napkin.

This, Sibyl thought as they all dragged a sizable sealed chest that weighed approximately a metric ton from one of said hidden rooms into the hallway, was probably not an activity for a very pregnant Clarice.

In case they couldn't find the rooms again, they'd put certain things out in the hallways. It was near dawn when they turned in.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Audio = I hear  
> Video = I see  
> Disco = I learn  
> Doceo = I teach
> 
> Which, I think is quite a good motto for Fen and Gris' school.


	17. Feverwood Academy for Rebel Witches II

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Fen and Gris are getting ready to open their school. But first, they want to show some old friends around.
> 
> This takes place in around 2008 in the 1998 Series universe.
> 
> (Part 2 of 2)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Today's Latin:
> 
> Audio = I hear  
> Video = I see  
> Disco = I learn  
> Doceo = I teach

There was a cauldron of fresh porridge bubbling away at the head platform in the dining hall, along with various options to accompany it. The hall was filled with round tables which sat about ten. Only one was set while the others were covered by drop sheets, the roof having recently been repaired.

Sibyl was the last to trudge in.

"I'm still on Alice Springs time. It's yesterday afternoon," she'd said tiredly when she sat down.

Fen and Gris had solved a lot of the unnecessary miserableness from their Cackle's days with quite simple solutions.

Breakfast, for instance, was to be porridge. To combat it being generally cold and horrible as soon as it was brought up from the kitchens and served, it would be prepared and served from the dining hall as would the pancakes every second Sunday. Pancake Sunday would fall on alternate weeks to 'Full English Friday' which would be prepared down in the kitchens and served using the magical servery Ruby had invented which would also be used for lunch and dinner most days. This saved the kitchen staff the half hour journeys between the kitchen and dining hall which eliminated unintentionally cold meals.

As it was now frowned upon to make schoolchildren go hungry if they missed breakfast, the porridge (which was also bottomless) would stay out all day before a fresh batch was put out at six in the morning and kept just right using a Goldilocks spell (designed by Maud), because not letting (or making) schoolgirls go hungry is not a frivolous use of magic, no-matter what anyone says.

* * *

Before the day was out Feverwood had a complete folklore (or enough to start with) as well as a suite of age old traditions to be implemented for the first time in the coming year. Enid had even had the idea to borrow some cackle's girls to taunt the first years as they arrived. Fen and Gris had taken it under advisement.

"So, Maud," Gris had said over lunch, "how do you like Aberdeen?"

Maud made a non-committal gesture. Truth was, Aberdeen was fine. The school was fine. The girls were fine. The boys, who she had almost nothing to do with, were fine. The other staff were fine. It was all fine. Something was missing though.

"Because, we were wondering," Fen continued, "if you'd come on as chanting teacher and deputy head. We could use you. The woman we had lined up backed out."

"I..." Maud replied, "Yes, I'd love to."

"Well then, welcome aboard." Gris said.

* * *

A few hours before everyone was due to leave HB arrived.

"Oh, I almost forgot," Gris said, "Sibyl, have you participated in a mapping rite yet?"

"Yes, once."

"Good, we're going to do one," Fen said.

"A what?" Mildred said.

"A mapping rite," Sibyl explained," it's some of that weird Australian magic we were talking about the other night."

"I hope," HB said," that you three haven't been discussing things you shouldn't."

"No, Mum," Gris said.

"What," HB said, less hsrshly than one would expect, "have I told you two about calling me that?"

"That it's roguishly endearing?" Fen said.

HB gave them both a look.

"Only to do it on country," Gris amended.

No explanation for this form of address was offered and Mildred, Ethel, Jadu, Maud and Ruby remained confused.

"Sibyl, HB, follow us," Fen said.

"The rest of you, split up, so we can see if this works," Gris added.

* * *

The room Fen and Gris lead HB and Sibyl to was roughly the same size as the great hall and directly above it. It had been cleared of all furniture and was eerily bare. The hardwood floors were freshly treated and polished though and the room was generally free of dust and cobwebs.

As they performed the ritual lines burned into the floor, mapping out the castle and grounds on the floor. When it was finished there were nine markers on the floor. four in this room, marked 'Constance Hardbroom', 'Sibyl Hallow', 'Griselda Blackwood' and 'Fenella Feverfew'. One in the kitchens, marked 'Ruby Cherrytree'. Another in, what would be one of the pupil's rooms, marked 'Jadu Wali'. One out on the parade ground, marked 'Enid Nightshade'. And two more in the staff-room, marked "Ethel Hallow' and 'Mildred Hubble'.

"I told them to split up, what are those two doing together," Gris said, pointing to Mildred and Ethel's markers.

"I don't think they're physically capable of being more than about fifteen feet apart at the moment," Sibyl said.

"Still?" Fen said, "Their whole accentual empathy ritual has to have been at least... what? five years ago? Surely it's worn off by now"

"It has, only lasted a month or so. This is either another magical misadventure or them being... all sappy and romantic. As it's them it's even money either way."

* * *

_August 2014_

Seven years later, almost to the day, Feverwood got a new sign. It was almost identical to the first except it read:

FEVERWOOD ACADEMY

FOR REBEL WITCHES

Heads: Mrs Fenella Feverfew and Mrs Griselda Blackwood

"Audio Video Disco Doceo"

_Est. 2008_

There was a rainbow stripe behind the motto which shone silver.

A couple of characters didn't seem like it aught to make a difference. Their rings glinted in the sunlight. A couple of metal bands, two tiny words... it made a difference. They'd barely dared dream of it at Cackle's. 'My wife Fenella', 'my wife Griselda'. They'd been running around the midlands saying it for a fortnight. Now they were back, in time for selection and the new school year. Maud, their faithful deputy, had been holding down the fort while they'd been away, overseeing the preparations for the new school year.

"You like it?" Maud said.

"It's perfect," Gris said, "Who..."

"Wedding gift from the staff. Millie did it for us. When you said you were going to wait until the the school's tenth aniversary to change it... We decided it was already seven years too late.

"Thanks, Maud," Fen said.


	18. Gemma I

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Someone from HB's past arrives at Cackle's.
> 
> This Continues from 'Convergence'.
> 
> (Part 1 of 3)

HB was going over the intake for the new school year:

Darling, Jessica.

Dow, Kylie.

Foxglove, Felicity.

Holden, Gemma.

HB paused. Gemma Holden... It couldn't be, could it? It had to be a coincidence, surely.

HB opened the file.

Gemma Max Holden.

Mother: Janet Holden.

Father: Billy Holden (Nee: Wood).

HB had always found it strange that Yindi's parents had named their two daughters Yindi and Janet.

Janet was a few years younger than Yindi. HB had spent a lot of time in community preparing for, and then undertaking, her initiation and had come to know everyone quite well.

HB had been particularly fond of Janet. She was a skilled witch, even as a teenager. Constance hadn't heard much of Janet for some time. Yindi had written about her marriage which (everyone having assumed Billy was gay to the tenth power since he was two years old) had come as quite a shock, and Gemma's birth as well as a few times in between. Yindi had never mentioned the middle name.

The only other person in the staff-room was Amelia. Imogen, who had only returned this early because Constance had, was out doing an inventory of the sports' shed'. The rest of the staff weren't due back for a few days.

"Amelia?" HB said, "This first year, Gemma Holden?"

"Oh, yes. Her mother is the Australian ambassador to the Magic Council and she requested that her daughter be allowed to attend Cackle's. It's a little unorthodox to let someone in without sitting the entrance exam but Mrs Holden said she knew you. From your AWU days, I assumed.

"Yes, Janet is Yindi's younger sister. I knew her quite well while I was over there. We haven't corresponded in some time, but Yindi has kept me informed.

"Mrs Holden was quite insistent that her daughter have a place here. I don't suppose you know why?"

"I do."

"And?"

"Short answer is: because I'm here. I've told you before I was most of the way through being fully initiated into the community, and why?"

"Yes."

"Gemma is at an age where she'd be taught certain things. Certain things that I'm probably the only one in the country qualified to teach her, aside from Janet herself, and according to custom she isn't supposed to."

"You can't be the only one in the country who knows these things."

"There are a handful of others who know parts of it. Fenella and Griselda, Sibyl Hallow, to name a few. I am, however the only one who has been innitiated far enough to teach it."

"That seems... complicated."

"One other thing, Gemma's middle name. You shouldn't say it aloud."

"Why?"

"It's cultural thing. It's the name of... someone who is now dead. Their people don't speak the names of their dead. We should tell the staff."

* * *

Back in their rooms later that night, Imogen pottered around while Constance sat, pensive. She looked over Gemma's file on her maglet.

Gemma Max Holden.

There hadn't been a student named Max or Maxine at Cackle's while Constance had been here. A pupil or two had had cats named Max over the years though.

HB had come up with some inventive ways to refer to the creatures without speaking the name.

Her name.

The photo in Gemma's file looked more like her namesake than either Janet or Yindi.

To honor the first woman she'd loved, the woman she'd planned to spend the rest of her life with, HB did not say her name aloud and she hadn't kept any images of her. Not Yaz's sketch of the two of them, not any of the photographs she'd had of them.

Yindi's people didn't speak the names of their dead. They didn't look at their image.

Merlin, HB had missed that face.

HB spent some time with the name, she hadn't realised how much she'd missed, how much she could miss those three letters.

Gemma's middle name was deliberate. HB's one had always been that. Only her mother had ever used the whole name.

"What's the matter HB?" Imogen said, concerned.

"What?"

"You're crying."

HB noticed that she was.

"One of the new first years is Yindi's niece."

"What's she doing here?"

"Yindi's sister, Janet is Australian Ambassador to The Magic Council. She's sending Gemma here so she can be taught by one of their own, namely me. She's a dead ringer for..." there were a number of ways that Yindi's people referred to their dead, most of them not in a language Imogen spoke, "... my one old flame."  
  
---


	19. Gemma II

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Someone from HB's past arrives at Cackle's.
> 
> This Continues from 'Convergence'.
> 
> (Part 2 of 3)

HB watched as the girls arrived for the new school year from the staff-room window. She watched Imogen hand out hot chocolate to the girls as they arrived, as she did every year. Imogen glanced up just then, and smiled, catching her wife's eyes on her. HB had mixed feelings about the day, and Imogen knew it. About Gemma in particular.

Gemma Holden wore her silky black hair in a plat, tied (in the upper thoracic region of her spine) with a purple ribbon which matched her purple first-year sash. She looked even more like her namesake in person than she had in her photograph. Perhaps it was partially HB's imagination, after all she hadn't seen a likeness of her first love since the late seventies. The world had looked different then, the world ha been different then. Merlin, she hadn't even been twenty. Constance had taught daughters of former pupils who were now older than that.

Gemma was a good flyer, her people all were. She did a loop of the castle before making a perfect landing in the courtyard with a flourish. And if that didn't earn her her middle name...

Yindi had been right, of course. Yindi's position made her vaguely omniscient. Even before she'd taken up the mantle she was usually right. Constance had communed with her shortly after she'd discovered Gemma's enrolment. Yindi, as the vaguely omniscient often were, had been mysterious and vague about why the whole thing was a good idea for everyone. Constance trusted Yindi implicitly though, and eve before she'd come into her position she always seemed to know what she was talking about.

Gemma was talking enthusiastically with another first year. Constance was taken back to an orientation mixer when she'd first arrived at AWU. She'd been barely eighteen and standing awkwardly in a corner in a strange land. Then along had come Gemma's namesake. She'd struck up a conversation about how certain potion ingredients behaved differently when grown in the southern hemisphere to what they did when grown in the northern hemisphere. Then they'd moved onto regional substitutions used where certain ingredients just wouldn't grow. It was something that Constance was aware of but, owing to the comparative uniformity of Britain's climate, had almost no practical knowledge of.

Then Gemma's namesake had called Yindi and Yaz over and, without the particular intention of anyone involved, Constance had turned their trio into a quartet. The others had all come up together. Their people liked to joke that all the girls born to their skin in 1959 were lesbians, something that was only not true because Yaz was bisexual.

They'd spent much of the evening explaining the complicated ins and outs of their kinship system. Constance was glad she hadn't had anything stronger than apple juice because, even with the colour coded diagram Yindi was drawing in mid-air as they went, she was having difficulty following. She'd been quite nervous about keeping it straight in her head when she first went home with them to community several weeks later. As it turned out she found it significantly less convoluted in practice than she did on paper.

When Yindi's predecessor and skin grandmother had found out Constance was also a lesbian born in 1959, she'd laughed heartily and declared she must be a sister to Yaz, Yindi and Gemma's namesake. She'd had a knowing look about it all but Constance hadn't found out why for some time.

Grandmother had been impressed that Constance spoke their language, imperfectly but quite passably. Constance had always had a way with (and affection for) languages and she'd taken to it as naturally as she had Latin as a girl. The way she'd taken to Latin had been described, among other things, as 'unnatural', 'odd' and 'possibly possessed'. Something Constance had found at once highly complimentary and incredibly funny.

Gemma was now leading the other girl, Felicity Foxglove, across the courtyard by the hand, having first collected Hot Chocolate from Imogen.

Imogen herself seemed to have left her post while Constance was lost in thought, entrusting the cauldron to a pair of fourth-years . Constance wondered where she'd got to until Imogen set a mug of hot chocolate on the windowsill in front of her. HB smiled.  
  
---


	20. Drills

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This continues on from 'Arthur: Unbound' and takes place a few months later in a slight AU of the 2017 series. Jayne is the same Jayne from 'The Australians' and 'Convergence' but she doesn't have magic in this universe.
> 
> 'Gemma III' isn't cooperating with me today so I'm putting up an 'Arthur: Unbound' Interlude and will conclude 'Gemma' tomorrow.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Today's Latin:  
> Filia: Daughter  
> Pater(is): Father (Merlin)
> 
> Today's Old-English:  
> Fæder: Father (Arthur)

Cackle's was abuzz with activity. Arthur, Merlin, Jayne and the knights of Camelot were preparing for what was to come, whatever that happened to be.

Cackles' had become their home base, mainly because, as deputy head (and potion's mistress) and pupil respectively, Morgana and Ælf couldn't really leave.

It was early on a sunny Saturday and Jayne was leading the assembled knights (and warrior queens) in drills on the parade ground. Arthur watched from the battlements. He'd join them later but, for now he observed his people. It had been a few months and they'd found most of their people by now. Arthur's sister, Morgana the elder, was yet to reveal herself. As were a few of the Knights that Merlin was expecting.

"Aren't you going to join them?" Ada said from behind him.

"In a while,"Arthur replied.

"I thought you'd be training them."

"I've always wanted my people to learn from the best. Even without her modern combat experience, that's Jayne. She was never afraid to beat me on the training ground, and she nearly always did. My ego isn't so fragile that I can't admit the head of my army can best me in combat."

Ada was silent for a moment. She watched Mildred and Hecate as they swung their swords along with the others to Jayne's count. There was quite the crowd gathering by now, the pupils watched intently.

"Ælf always... She'd be out every morning training with Jayne and the knights. Morgana was often fighting to keep her kingdom after her husband died. Ælf lived with us in Camelot most of the time. It was safer. Camelot's position was stable. I'd reigned well for many years and Camelot was known to be well defended. Morgana was a woman with only a daughter to succeed her. Mercia was much less stable until Morgana solidified her position. Ælf was so little at the start, it seemed like her sword was as big as she was, bigger. She absolutely idolised Jayne, followed her everywhere. Morgana was the same. Morgana never knew her mother, Jayne was the closest she ever had, and Elisabeth."

"Elisabeth?"

"Elisabeth was, is, Jayne's wife. She was our court physician after Merlin's duties as court sorcerer and Crown Prince started to mean he stopped having the time to also be physician. Morgana learned three trades: Queen, first knight and physician. People were often surprised to see Camelot's warrior princess tending to the sick and wounded. Ælf was the same way."

"There are more women out there than I'd have thought," Ada said indicating the parade ground.

"Oh, yes. Camelot was known for having the finest swords-women in the land. Some of them learned their craft in Camelot, others travelled the length and breath of Britain, and further to join Camelot's army. I was glad to have them. Some of my finest knights were women. Not all of the women down there were women in Camelot though. Then again, not all of the men were men in Camelot either."

* * *

Hecate could feel Ada's eyes on her from the battlements, she could feel Arthur's too. It felt good to have a sword in her hand again. It felt good to be training with Ælf, Jayne and the others again. It worried her though, that her own first knight, Ruby wasn't by her side. Ruby had been Morgana's Right hand. They'd come up together and when Morgana had married, Ruby had come with her to Mercia. They had yet to find Ruby and it felt strange not to have her around. Ruby had been devoted to Morgana. Morgana hadn't loved her in the same way but she had in her own. Ruby had always been Jayne's protege , Morgana would take the throne of Camelot upon her Arthur's death and Ruby would lead the combined armies of Camelot and Mercia. It had always been assumed that Jayne and Arthur would die together. It wasn't something Merlin remembered (at least not that he'd ever told anyone), it was just something that everyone had assumed since they were about twelve that turned out to be correct. Then they'd all return and do whatever it was that they'd returned to do. But Ruby had not yet turned up and it made Morgana more anxious with each passing day. It had taken Arthur and Merlin weeks to find Jayne after Arthur's return. Arthur had spent those weeks getting his head on straight after having been dead for a millennium or so. Merlin had known where to find her all along. Merlin did not, as yet, know where Ruby was. Some people they just ran into from a vague notion tat Merlin had to be somewhere. Sometimes he knew exactly where they needed to be and who they'd find when they got there. It bothered Hecate that they hadn't found Ruby yet.

Arthur joined them about then and they pared off. Arthur with Morgana and Ælf with Jayne.

Arthur wasn't warm or loose from the drills and Morgana got the first hit in. Arthur parried easily.

"Something's on your mind, Filia."

"Ruby."

Arthur's sword struck Hecate's.

"She'll turn up."

"I hope you're right, Fæder."

"Pateris thinks you might be holding her back the way you, Hecate, were holding back Morgana. Or somehow preventing him from rememering how to find her."

"How? Why?"

"Same cause and reason. Ada."

"That doesn't make sense."

"Doesn't it? You, Hecate, were holding back Morgana, something that was supposed to be impossible, because you couldn't bare the thought of hurting your wife with the return of a great love."

"What does that have to do with Ruby?"

"She always loved you, my girl. And you cared for her much more than you could ever admit, given your position."

"I cared for her, and I loved her like a sister and a comrade. And we were... involved but she was no great love. It was different for me, I didn't have a great love like You and Pateris or Jayne and Elisabeth or even Ælf and Ethel, not until Ada at least."

"You were always her great love, Morgana."

She almost didn't parry his blade.

"You're slipping, my girl."

"This body hasn't had a sword in it's hand since it could lift one. I've lost all my muscle memory. We all did."

"I didn't."

"Pateris grew you. All your muscles were reconstituted. The rest of us got new bodies. Some of the others aren't even the same race or sex."

Morgana punctuated each point with an expert strike to her father's blade.  
  
---


	21. Gemma III

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Someone from HB's past arrives at Cackle's.
> 
> This Continues from 'Convergence'.
> 
> (Part 3 of 3)

It was six in the morning in about the middle of Gemma's second term at Cackle's. Constance and Imogen were categorically too old to be woken at six on a Sunday morning by a first-year pounding on their door and shouting HB's name.

Imogen shoved Constance out of bed and burrowed deeper into the covers to make up for the lost warmth of Constance's absence.

"Nobody," Constance said, pulling on her robe, "who has ever met you would believe that I'm the morning person in this marriage, my love."

Imogen made a noise of indeterminate intent and rolled over.

Constance chuckled to herself and kissed the top of her wife's head before going to see why there was a pupil pounding down their door at six on a sunday morning.

Constance arranged her face into her this-had-better-be-good expression and opened the door.

It was Jessica Darling at the door. Jessica was deaf and used a cochlear implant, the external component of which was in place over her hastily tied back auburn hair behind her left ear.

"Mrs Hardbroom," she said when HB opened the door, "come quickly, it's Gemma and Felicity. They're in some kind of trance in the courtyard."

"Show me."

HB followed Jessica to where Gemma and Felicity were sat, cross legged and holding each other by the wrist.

"I saw them out here when I was getting dressed, I tried to get them to come out of it but I don't think they could hear m. I didn't want to pull them apart in case... They're stone cold, I think they've been out here all night."

HB knew exactly what they'd tried to do and exactly what had gone wrong.

"You were right to come and get me."

HB joined Gemma and Felicity's rite by placing a hand firmly on the back each of their necks.

There was something wrong, HB could tell immediately. Their surroundings didn't look much different to what HB would expect, given Felicity's influence. It was more generally green. It felt different though. The rite they'd been attempting was all about openness. This environment was... hostile.

"Gemma Holden," HB said, before they noticed her presence, "You know better than to try this without me.

"HB!" Gemma said, relieved.

"I'm sorry, Mrs Hardbroom, it's my fault. I've done something similar and we thought between us..."

"It's nobody's fault, Felicity. The rite your people use is very similar, but not identical. They didn't mix well and you got stuck, these things happen."

"How did you find us, Mrs Hardbroom?" Felicity said.

"Felicity spotted you out her bedroom window."

"But it must be the middle of the night by now," Gemma said.

"It's 6:15, you girls have been out here all night."

"We have?" Gemma said.

"Time doesn't pass in quite the same way here. Your aunts and I were once here for six days."

Once they'd come out of it HB sent Felicity and Jessica, who hadn't left yet, to breakfast. She kept Gemma back.

"I'm sorry, HB. I really thought..."

"I know you did. Back on country you wouldn't be allowed to do these rites without someone considerably more experienced than you either. It would be at leas two years before you could. And the reason for that is in case exactly this kind of thing happens. Back home, you'd be able to be supervised by almost everyone over the age of thirteen. Here it's only me. I want you to promise me you won't try something like this without me again."

"I promise."

"Now, go catch the others up and get some breakfast. You and Felicity come and find me in a few hours and we can all try this again."

* * *

The sacred plane was not empty. Though HB, Gemma and Felicity could only see and hear each other they could feel the presence of dozens of others.

"This place is different from last time," Felicity said, looking around.

"Welcome, Felicity Foxglove, to the sacred plane. Or a part of it anyway," HB said.

"I came here with Yindi just before we left. She proposed to Yaz here," Gemma said.

"I know,"HB replied, "I was there."

"Will you show us?" Gemma asked eagerly.

"What?" Felicity said.

"The next part of the ritual," Gemma explained, "We each share a memory associated with a certain emotion."

"On that," HB said, "Everything that happens here, stays here. We don't discuss what is revealed here with anyone else."

"Yes, Mrs Hardbroom," Felicity said.

"What emotion shall we chose?" Gemma asked.

"How about, Love?" Felicity suggested.

"Love, it is," HB said.

They sat, on the red dirt in the shade of the rock. Green sprouted around Felicity. It was the only hint of her influence this time. They took each other by the wrists. Their surroundings began to change around them. Not completely, the landscape was half transparent and they could still see the rock behind the new landscape.

"Where is this?" Gemma asked, not recognising the place.

"It's up Jawoyn country. Dreaming site for owls. We came up here with one of Yindi's archaeology professors to do some field work not long before I left. We were very fortunate to be allowed to come here. It's one of their most sacred sites. The professor and I were the first Europeans to be allowed here."

It was a beautiful place, a creek ran through the site with a waterfall at one end. It looked a difficult place to get to, with the cliffs that ran along either side. The pleasantly cool water came right to the higher cliff and the lower had a narrow and precarious path down to the sand by the creek-bed. The ute they'd rode out in the tray of was parked at the top of the cliff. The water was deep and cool in the early winter Northern Territory sun.

Four young women lounged on the rocks that made up the waterfall, water tumbling lazily over them on it's way down. Two of them Gemma recognised as Yindi and Yaz. Yindi was leaning up on one elbow and Yaz was leaning up against her. Yindi's free hand was brushing a strand of hair that didn't exist behind Yaz's ear. It took Felicity and Gemma a moment to recognise HB. She was barefoot and dressed in a swimming costume under an open long sleeved shirt and was wearing a stockman's hat and a waist length plat down her back. Gemma and Felicity thought they were probably the only people other than Mrs Drill who had ever seen HB's knees. HB was leaning into another woman who bore such a striking resemblance to Gemma, they could be sisters.

"Who's that?" Gemma asked. Their hands remained joined but she didn't need to point for the others to know who she was referring to.

"That," HB said, "is your namesake."

"That's Max?" Gemma said.

HB winced.

"Sorry," Gemma said.

"If your people aren't allowed to say the names of your dead, why are you named after a dead person?" Felicity said.

"HB honors her in our way. My people decided to honor her in HB's way."

"But you aren't allowed to say your own middle name."

"I'm allowed to say it, I never knew her. Anyone born after she died or who never knew her can say it."

They couldn't hear what Yindi, Yaz, Max and HB were saying but they were talking and laughing and there was an overwhelming feeling of love and contentment, the kind that you just _knew_ was reciprocated, towards Yindi and Yaz, but towards Max most of all.  
  
---


	22. Indecent Beach at Christmas I

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Mildred and Ethel go to a beach that is indecently perfect for Christmas.
> 
> This takes place in the 1998 series universe in 2015.
> 
> (Part 1 of 2)

Mildred kept nodding off, her chin in her hand. It was a few days out from Christmas and she and Ethel had been invited to spend Christmas with one of Sibyl's AWU cohorts and her family. There'd been an almighty argument in the Hallow family which had prompted Ethel and Sibyl to leave the country and spend Christmas at the beach, halfway around the world. It was, in Mildred's opinion, a slight overreaction but there were worse places to spend Christmas. Mildred only wished they'd come a few days earlier.

Mildred and Ethel were sitting in a fish and chip shop, indecently close to the ocean which was indecently clear and indecently blue. The sand was indecently white, the sky was indecently blue. The grass was a little brown from the midsummer sun.

It was a sleepy little town, which did not help the fact that, owing to the fact they'd transferred here, their day was about ten hours longer than it should have been.

Mildred was gazing absently past Ethel and out the window.

"We should get a dog," Mildred said suddenly.

"I don't know what Tabby and Nightstar would have to say about that... Or the bats," Ethel said.

Ethel followed Mildred's eye-line to a young looking beagle who had accompanied a pair of teenagers drinking milkshakes on the beach.

Once, Ethel had found Mildred's scatterbrain irritating. Now, she found it quite endearing. Many of Mildred's varyingly irritating qualities had morphed, over the years (to Ethel, at least) to varyingly endearing ones.

Ethel watched Mildred watch the beagle and smiled fondly as her eyelids began to droop again.

Ethel couldn't help it, she leaned over and kissed her wife across the table. Ethel hadn't been thinking. The urge had come over her and she had followed it without a second thought.

In a strange place.

In a small town.

In a country that didn't legally recognise their marriage.

Ethel looked around now, gauging the reactions of the other patrons.

The ones outside didn't seem to have noticed.

There was a woman, around their age, in a corner writing in a notebook. She seemed, from the way she and the staff interacted with one another, to do this regularly. She looked about as heterosexual as HB and she was alert, ready to take action at any sign of trouble. She shot a warning look to the other ocupied table inside where a middle-aged woman sat, looking as though she wanted to start something.

There was a story there.

When the woman who'd taken their order brought their food out she gave the woman a wary look as she passed her table.

There was definitely a story there.

The woman left a short while later.

"What was all that about?" Mildred said

"That," said the young woman, "is the only person in this whole town I've ever had a problem with."

"Problem?" Ethel said.

"Just your garden variety homophobia. It's gotten pretty ugly, but not too serious. Then there's my mother, who's alright until she's had a few."

"You have one of those too?" Ethel said.

"Oh, yes. You're Sibyl Hallow's sisters, right?"

"How did you know?" Mildred said.

"I'm Kate, Dr Kate Southon. My sister, Rose came up with Sibyl at AWU. "She said you were coming."

"Did you study there?" Mildred asked.

"No, I'm based there now but I went to a non-witching university. Finders has a better archaeology program."  
  
---


	23. Indecent Beach at Christmas II

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Mildred and Ethel go to a beach that is indecently perfect for Christmas.
> 
> This takes place in the 1998 series universe in 2015.
> 
> (Part 2 of 2)

Mildred, Ethel, Sibyl and most of the Southon cousins were jammed in the grandparent's house like sardines.

There were four Southon siblings, each of whom had a spouse and three children, except for the youngest who only had two children. Three of the cousins were married and, between them, had tree children between six and eight. Thirty people. Twenty of whom were from out of town.

Bed allocations, being a random side skill of archaeology, had been Kate's job.

She had eight bedrooms across five houses to work with.

The out of town siblings and their respective spouses stayed with one sibling (and in-law) each.

The childed out of town cousin (along with his wife and two children) stayed with the local childed cousin (and her husband and son).

The married (but childless) cousin and her husband stayed with the other local cousin.

Mildred, Ethel, Sibyl and the unmarried cousins all stayed with the grandparents. Tommy, Kate and Ruby's younger brother was in a room with two single beds with the only other male bachelor cousin. Kate and three of the remaining cousins were in a room with two bunk beds. Ethel, Mildred, Sibyl and Rose were in a room with two single beds, one of which Mildred and Ethel shared, and a roll-away.

It was all very cramped and congenial. Ethel could not imagine the Hallows, of whom there were about as many, managing to tolerate each other enough for everyone to live through the three nights of this. The Southons were all kind an easy going and, though they were, by no means perfect, managed to get along with each other and set whatever conflicts they had aside for a few days. If they actually had conflicts with one another. It seemed odd to Ethel that they wouldn't but she had, thus far seen no evidence of any... yet.

Christmas morning came and the bachelor cousins as well as Mildred, Ethel and Sibyl sat down to breakfast (in whatever space they could find in the vague vacinity of the kitchen.

Ross Southon, the kindly patriarch who had taken his gift for potions and become a pharmacist, was a nice man of good humour. It had become a tradition when all the cousins were old enough, mostly because he didn't like an empty house on Christmas morning, that all the grandchildren stayed on Christmas eve and once they began to move away they'd all stay as long as everyone was home for Christmas. His wife, who's name was actually Elaine but was always called Kate, was less enthusiastic about this, as she was about everything.

To look at the Southons you wouldn't necessarily know they were magical. They ran the local pharmacy, Southon and Son's. Ross had been retired some years by now, although he could occasionally be found working there on a Saturday morning. He'd gone into partnership with his second son (Kate, Rose and Tommy's father) before selling him the other half of the business when he retired. The son was now in business with his niece. It was all very neat and tidy.

Most of the cousins had more or less non-magical jobs too. An academic was quintessentially an academic, after all. Two of the cousins were medical doctors and one was a dentist. They were all magically gifted... they just, didn't use it all that much in the course of their work.

Christmas lunch was at Kate, Tommy and Rose's childhood home. It was a big house with a big backyard and and a little Australian terrier, who was very conflicted over who to trail after and spent the day between Mildred, Ross and Kate.

They spent the rest of the day eating. They ate lunch. They exchanged gifts, They ate desert. The menfolk had a nap. They played a game then they ate dinner. Then they all went back to their sardine cans and went to bed, vowing never to eat again.  
  
---


End file.
